Daughters of the Revolution (A War of the Worlds Story)
by stormy.grace
Summary: The residents of New Orleans and Mystic Falls are dealing with the loss of their loved ones and an impending war when yet another familiar face from Damon's past shows up. Will she be able to help him deal with his anger at being human again and his pain over loosing his two favorite witches, or will she only make things worse? The sequel to "Please, Come Back To Me".
1. Chapter 1

**Georgia, 2001**

"How is Katerina Petrova constantly one step ahead of us?" Klaus demanded angrily as Elijah pulled up in front of the Cavanaugh farmhouse.

"We will find her, brother." Elijah assured him calmly. "And if we don't, we'll find another. It doesn't have to be Katerina."

Klaus looked at his brother, his eyes hard and angry. "It _will_ be Katerina, brother."

Elijah noticed a strange calm about the house. Both cars were there, but there seemed to be no signs of life inside the residence.

"Then I will help you find her." Elijah promised as he opened the car door and stepped out. "Niklaus, do you smell that?"

Klaus sniffed the air as he emerged from the car. "Blood."

"And death." Elijah added.

The brothers rushed inside to find just that. Blood everywhere, broken and upturned furniture, and two dead bodies in the living room. The bodies of their friends that were said to be distant relatives. Jack and Freya Cavanaugh lay mauled and broken, murdered in their own home.

"Where is Siobhan?" Klaus asked, looking around the room.

Elijah had already noted the fact that the girl was missing and listened carefully, picking up a faint whimpering sound coming from the hall closet. He walked to the closet and opened the door carefully, finding the girl huddled in the floor, tucked as far into the back corner as she could possibly get. She was only thirteen and now her parents were dead. She was obviously terrified and Elijah crouched down in front of her, holding out his hand to her.

"You're safe now." he assured her.

Siobhan cautiously put her hand in his and let him help her out of the closet. "They killed them didn't they?"

Elijah nodded, hating having to confirm her fears. "Who did this, Siobhan?"

"The wolves."

Tears were streaming down her face, causing the mascara her parents had recently agreed to let her wear to run down her cheeks, leaving black streaks behind. Elijah pulled her close and folded his arms around her as she continued to cry.

"Is there anything in this house you want to save?" Klaus asked gently as he walked over to them, carefully brushing Siobhan's mussed red hair away from her face. "Anything you can't live without?"

"Why?" she asked.

"Because we're going to burn the house down and tell everyone that your parents died in the fire." Klaus explained.

Siobhan sniffed and nodded, understanding that they needed a cover story. She couldn't go around telling people werewolves had killed her parents because they couldn't find a way to keep them from turning every full moon. She pulled away from Elijah and moved around the house, quickly and quietly gathering a few precious possessions and avoiding her parents' bodies.

A few minuets later she sat in the backseat of Elijah's car as they drove away from the blazing house.

%%%

**Mystic Falls, 2011**

"Elijah?" Elena called quietly as she approached.

He looked up from the stone with Siobhan's name carved on it, but didn't say anything.

Elena's heart broke at the almost broken look on his face. He had been crying. "Dinner's almost ready."

Elijah produced a handkerchief from his pocket and dried his face as he stood and followed her back to the boarding house. He had been here for a month, having left almost as soon as he had heard that Bonnie and Siobhan were dead. He, Klaus, and Hayley had come to pay their respects at Bonnie's funeral, and had decided to bury Siobhan in Mystic Falls as well so that the New Orleans witches wouldn't have access to her magic. Cami had gone back to New Orleans with Klaus and Hayley, but Elijah hadn't been able to bring himself to leave. Instead he had accepted Elena's invitation to stay as long as he needed to. No one seemed to mind all that much, though he knew some of them weren't exactly thrilled to have him there.

Elena tucked her hand in his arm as they walked, feeling comfortable with Elijah. She knew what he was going through. She had never lost a child, but she had lost several people she had loved. Many of them had been returned to her, but that didn't take away the pain she still felt when she thought about her parents, Jenna, and now Bonnie.

"You're still here?" Damon asked rudely when he saw Elijah.

"Damon, stop it." Elena warned, growing tired of his attitude.

Damon was mad about being human again and hurting over loosing Bonnie and Siobhan. She understood that, but she didn't like the effect his anger and grief were having on him. He had reverted to the way he had been when she had met him, and she wasn't happy about that.

"It's my house, Elena." He said. "I don't have to be happy to have someone I don't like staying in it."

"It's _my_ house, Damon." Elena replied, reminding him that even though she had died the deed to the house still had her name on it. "If you want to get technical, it's Jeremy's house."

"Jeremy doesn't like Elijah either." Damon argued.

"Well, I do." She shot back. "So get over it."

"You're the only one." Damon called after her as she and Elijah made their way toward the dining room.

Elena ignored him and told Elijah to do the same.

"It's kind of you to worry about my feelings, Elena." Elijah said, patting her hand. "But there's no need. I've dealt with angrier people than Damon. My brother for example."

Elena smiled as everyone settled around the table, realizing she was lucky to have developed a sort of friendship with Elijah despite everything that had happened between them in the past.

"_Where_ is Damon?" Caroline demanded as she took her seat beside Stefan. "Stefan and I slaved over a hot stove and he can't even bother to show up to eat?"

"He's hurting, Caroline." Stefan said. "Cut him some slack."

"If Elena isn't cutting him any slack, I don't see why I should." Caroline replied.

Enzo sat down across from her and flashed her a lopsided smile. "If it helps any, I think it smells delicious."

She didn't want it to, but it did help a little. "Thanks." She said, managing not to smile though she wanted to.

"You're being a lot harder on him than I am, Care." Elena pointed out.

Caroline looked apologetic as she passed Enzo the basket of rolls. "Well…I don't mean to."

"We know." Stefan said, giving her a teasing look. "It's just who you are."

Caroline considered throwing the roll she was buttering at him, but stuck her tongue out instead, drawing a laugh from everyone but Enzo.

"Very mature, Caroline." Alaric commented.

Caroline simply shrugged.

Elena tuned out the conversation around the dinner table, listening carefully to the sounds coming from the rest of the house. She heard the familiar sounds of glass clinking and liquid pouring, and sighed as she realized that Damon was having bourbon for dinner once again.


	2. Chapter 2

Elena paused in the doorway, inwardly groaning at the all too familiar sight of her already half drunken boyfriend. "Damon?"

"Elena?" he replied, slurring slightly and twisting his head to look at her.

Fighting back the urge to yell at him, she didn't bother trying to smile. "Stefan and I are going over to welcome that new family. Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

"They have kids, right?" Damon asked.

Elena nodded.

"Well, Elena, I'm a little drunk right now." Damon said, pointing out the obvious. "Do you really want me making my first impression on our new neighbors like this? Or do you not care anymore?"

"Damon…"

"Elena."

For the first time in a long time she wanted to strangle him, but she managed to ignore his surly attitude. "You don't have to get drunk, you know. You could talk to me. I want you to talk to me."

Damon let out a dramatic sigh. "Unfortunately, I don't _feel_ like doing whatever you ask me to do anymore, Elena. I suppose you could try to compel me into getting sober, but I've been drinking vervain so it wouldn't do any good. Besides, I _want_ to get drunk. It makes me feel better. Actually, it makes me not feel anything and I like that."

Before Stefan could stop her she was across the room and had snatched the bottle out of Damon's hand.

"This isn't going to help you any, Damon!" she yelled, shaking the bottle in his face. "I get that you don't want to feel anything, but you don't have that option anymore. You're human now! You can't turn off your humanity anymore. I know you're angry and hurting, but Bonnie and Siobhan are gone and you're human, and you need to find a way to deal with all of that. I'm not letting this be the solution because it's not one! I love you too much to let you become this person, Damon!"

With that she flung the bottle into the fireplace where it shattered with a satisfying smash. She would've been more satisfied had it fed the fire into a small explosion to emphasize her point a little better, but it was too warm out for a fire.

Damon stared at her, but only looked angry that she had taken away his booze. She hoped her words might take root as she stomped out of the house, shoving passed Stefan to get out the front door.

"That was a little harsh, Elena." Stefan said as they climbed into his car.

She settled the ribbon adorned basket in her lap and didn't bother buckling her seatbelt. "You know what, Stefan? I don't care anymore. He can't keep living like this. It hurts me to see him like this, and I had to do something. I can't let it slide anymore."

Stefan didn't argue.

%%%

"More company!" Sabrina Westbrook announced as she darted into the living room after peeking out the window in the foyer.

"We aren't even unpacked yet, and we've already met half the town." Megan Hart replied as she opened another box.

Lucy Hollingsworth smiled in the kitchen and set a stack of plates on the counter. She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear as she walked toward the front door, having heard the car in the driveway way before Sabrina had made her announcement. She paused at the bottom of the stairs. "Aiden! Noah! The Mystic Falls welcome wagon is here again!"

She picked up a potted plant and walked out onto the porch as if finding a home for the plant was her sole objective. Hearing the boys scramble downstairs, grumbling at having to meet more new neighbors, she pretended to be surprised to see the friendly looking young couple climbing the front porch steps as she set the plant on the railing.

"Hi." She greeted them cheerfully with a smile, her enthusiasm completely real. Unlike her new sons, she was excited to be meeting everyone.

"Welcome to Mystic Falls!" the pretty brunette girl that didn't look much older than half of Lucy's kids exclaimed, enthusiastically presenting a basket full of goodies. "I'm Elena Gilbert and this is Stefan Salvatore."

Lucy took the basket, thinking that half of that sentence hadn't been necessary, though she was a little surprised to find out that she wasn't talking to Katherine Pierce. With a smile, she invited them inside and introduced herself.

Elena and Stefan followed her into the living room where a brood of four kids was gathered. Three of them looked like siblings.

"This is Aiden, Megan, Sabrina, and Noah." Lucy said, pointing to each child in turn. "Guys, this is Elena Gilbert and Stefan Salvatore."

Her kids all smiled and politely greeted them before running off to work on unpacking their rooms upstairs.

"I'm assuming they aren't all yours." Elena asked curiously but politely as she sat down on the sofa.

"Aiden, Sabrina, and Noah are one of my relative's kids." Lucy explained as she carried the basket into the kitchen and set it with the plates. "Would you like some tea or anything?"

Stefan and Elena both declined. The new mayor had formed a new Council after Alaric's mysterious reappearance, apparently not buying the evil twin story they had passed around, and had dumped vervain into the town's water supply yet again. They had all been forced to buy expensive water filters so that they could take showers without burning.

"Their parents died a few months ago, and I'm their only living relative." Lucy explained as she rejoined her guests. "I have no idea what happened to Megan's parents, but I couldn't bring myself to leave her behind when we left New York. She was already part of the family, so I just adopted her too."

In truth she hadn't adopted any of them. She wasn't even their legal guardian. She had compelled the social workers into letting her take them home with her.

"I've got bottled water." Lucy said randomly, knowing that at least one of them couldn't drink the water from the tap. She had had a very rude awakening this morning when she had tried to take a warm bath.

Elena smiled appreciatively. "Oh, we're fine. Really."

Stefan nodded in agreement.

Lucy chatted with her new neighbors for a little while and shut the door with shaking hands when they left. She had boxes of information on the Salvatore family that she had gathered over the years. That was how she knew about Katherine Pierce. Unfortunately, she didn't have a lot on the more recent years, which was why she knew nothing about Elena Gilbert. She had studied photos of Damon and Stefan for decades, memorizing every detail, and had picked Mystic Falls based on the connection to the family. But she had had no clue that they were still living here. As far as she knew a Zach Salvatore owned the boarding house, and she certainly hadn't been expecting to be welcomed to town by Stefan.

She hadn't been prepared for the meeting at all and was immensely relieved that Damon hadn't been with them. She might not have been able to hold it together had they both shown up on her doorstep, though she was certain she would run into him soon enough.

Turning and leaning against the door, she let out an unsteady breath. At least she knew there was a possibility of running into Damon while grocery shopping and could try to prepare herself for the inevitable. She couldn't avoid it forever, but at least she wouldn't be completely blindsided like she had been with Stefan.

**I'm glad y'all all seem to be enjoying this story as much as PCBTM! Feel free to let me know what you think so far. Any idea on why Lucy has such an interest in the Salvatores?**


	3. Chapter 3

**New Orleans**

"I thought you were on my side." Mikael said, taunting Davina as she stood guard just inside the attic, which was spelled so that no vampire could exit once inside.

Even though there was no harm of Mikael getting out she had him locked up in strong, vervain soaked chains, which he gave a forceful tug every now and then in an attempt to get free. She was also injecting him with vervain every hour to help keep him weak just in case he broke free of the chains.

She knew she shouldn't be inside the room, but part of her felt sorry for him even though she now knew what a monster he truly was. If he did manage to break free and attempt to harm her all she had to do was take one step back and she would be safe. The vervain would keep him from using his vampire speed.

"I was." She said, acidly. "Until I realized that you couldn't help me. That you tricked me into helping you."

"If you set me free I can put an end to my children once and for all." Mikael said. "They won't be able to harm you or your loved ones anymore."

"If you kill Klaus, Josh dies too." Davina reminded him.

"Yes, but once they are gone I will have my wife help you bring him back. As a human." Mikael said, trying to convince her that letting him go was the best course of action. "I can protect you against Klaus."

. Davina narrowed her eyes at the old vampire. "No you can't."

"I'm an Original vampire, Davina." Mikael reminded her. "There is but one weapon in the entire world that can kill me."

"And you were stupid enough to tell me where you hid it after stealing it from Klaus." Davina informed him, producing the silver coated stake from behind her back. "I could kill you right now."

"Then why don't you?" Mikael demanded. "If you hate me so much?"

"Because the task of killing you falls to me, Father." Klaus said cryptically as he appeared at the top of the steps. His hateful glare turned to an appreciative smile as he turned to Davina and held his hand out for the stake. "Thank you for you help, Davina."

She knew the stake would kill Klaus as well, and she considered burying it deep in his chest for a moment. He was, after all, the reason Josh had almost died. But she knew now that Mikael was the greater monster. Mikael was the one that had forced Klaus to become what he was, and although he didn't show it often, she could see that Klaus had good in him. Mikael didn't. So instead of killing Klaus even though she had a perfect opportunity, she simply placed the stake in his hand as a sort of peace offering and watched him step inside the room.

Paying no more attention to the young witch he had yet to apologize to Klaus advanced on Mikael, stopping just out of his reach. "My only regret is that Elijah and Rebekah can't be here to witness this moment."

He knew he should probably tell Davina to leave, but he also knew she would ignore him. So he simply raised the stake and ran his finger lightly over the sharp point. "I'd like to tell you how much I'm going to enjoy watching you die. Again."

"Out with it, boy!" Mikael encouraged him. "Tell me once more how much you hate me."

"I'd like to, but there aren't words to describe the joy I'm about to feel. Good-bye, Mikael."

Davina watched Klaus jam the stake into Mikael's chest. She didn't flinch when Mikael screamed in pain and burst into flames. She remained where she was as he burned and watched as Klaus retrieved the unharmed stake from the ashes, knowing he wasn't going to be pleased with what she was about to do.

Klaus, satisfied that his father was dead, turned toward the door and waited for Davina to lift the spell. But she didn't make a move to free him.

"Davina," he said. "You may let me out now."

"I'm sorry, Klaus." She said, a truly pained look coming over her face. "I can't."

He moved forward another few steps, looking angry and annoyed. "What do you mean you can't?"

Davina stood her ground, no longer afraid of him though she knew she probably should be. "I'm sorry, Klaus. You can hate me all you want, but I'm protecting you. The Guerrera wolves want you and everyone else dead."

"Thank you for your concern, but they can't harm me, Davina." Klaus assured her, realizing that she was completely sincere in her intentions.

"No one knows where Rebekah is, and Elijah is safe in Mystic Falls." Davina said. "I'm choosing to fight the greater of the two evils, and that means I need to make sure you're not going to do anything stupid and make things worse for the rest of us. I'm sorry, Klaus. I can't let you out."

She turned and walked away.

"Davina!" Klaus shouted after her, slamming forcefully against the impenetrable invisible barrier. "Davina! Let me out of here!"

She heard his demands and his threats, but she ignored them. She knew she was doing the right thing. She knew Hope Mikaelson was alive, and she wasn't going to let that innocent child grow up without a father. Klaus may be a vile and vengeful person, but she knew he loved that child and wanted to make the city a safe place for her and the rest of his family to live. Even with all the terrible things he had done to her and her friends, she couldn't bring herself to deprive him of that and she was determined to help him reach his goal. Whether he wanted her help or not.

Josh was waiting for her outside.

"Well?" he asked when she came out.

"Mikael's dead, and Klaus is safely locked up." Davina said, her eyes full of determination.

Josh fell into step beside her. "Now what?"

"Now I need you to go find a supply of blood for him." She explained. "I'd prefer it be blood bags instead of innocent people. I don't trust Klaus to leave them living when he's angry like this. I don't want him taking out his anger toward me on innocent people."

"How am I supposed to get a supply of blood bags?" Josh asked, never having had to.

Davina kept walking, purpose and determination in each step. "The hospital has a blood bank. Compel your way in and fill up a cooler for Klaus."

"Okay." Josh said, pausing only for a moment. "Where are you going?"

"To tell Francesca Correa that Mikael and Klaus are dead."


	4. Chapter 4

**Georgia, 2001**

"She needs _someone_, Niklaus!" Elijah insisted.

"And you're willing to be that someone, brother?" Klaus asked in response, sounding amused.

They were staying at a hotel until they could figure out what to do with Siobhan. By now the Department of Family and Children's Services had found out that Jack and Freya were dead and Siobhan was all alone. She was an orphan, and they wanted to put her in foster care with a family she knew nothing about, in a place she had never been. Siobhan hated the thought, and the idea didn't seem to sit well with Elijah either.

They thought she was asleep in her room, but she couldn't sleep. Instead she had crept quietly over to the door when she had heard them talking and was listening with her ear close to the space between the bottom of the door and the floor.

"What, may I ask, do you know about raising a thirteen year old girl?" Klaus continued.

"The amount of knowledge I possess on the subject does not matter." Elijah argued. "What matters is that the girl is alone and afraid. She needs someone to take care of her, someone she trusts. She needs _us_, Niklaus."

Klaus sighed, clearly growing annoyed. "You seem to be forgetting that the only reason we're here is to find Katerina."

"My life does not revolve around Katerina, brother." Elijah said. "The girl…"

"Yes, yes, I know." Klaus cut him off. "She needs someone. I understand that you love her, Elijah. I do too. I will help in any way I can, but I really do need to find Katerina and you promised you would help me."

"And I will." Elijah assured him. "I will help you find Katerina, but Siobhan is my first priority. You may leave if you like, but I will not abandon her."

%%%

"He abandoned you, and yet you still love him?" asked a voice Siobhan did not recognize.

"Mikael." Bonnie said, her eyes growing wide in confusion and filling with an emotion Siobhan could only assume was distaste.

She had never met Mikael before, but she certainly knew who and what he was and she didn't like him one bit. In fact, she hated him. She turned to him, that hatred showing clearly on her face. "Klaus didn't abandon me."

Mikael considered her words for a moment. "Your parents were killed. You were all alone. You needed someone to take care of you. Klaus knew this and he still left you to go hunt down Katherine. That's abandonment, my dear."

Bonnie didn't want to agree with Mikael, though she wasn't too eager to take Klaus' side either, but from what Siobhan had just told her abandonment seemed like the proper word. However, she knew that voicing this opinion wouldn't help any and she kept her mouth shut.

"Klaus loved me." Siobhan said, knowing deep in her heart that the words were true.

"He knows nothing of love." Mikael said. "He only knows his own selfish needs, and you didn't fit into that picture, little witch."

Because she hadn't actually died she still had her powers, and she used them to angrily throw Mikael across the room. "You're the one that knows nothing of love! Hunting down your own children. Klaus may have left, but he was more of a father to me than you could ever hope to be."

"How so?" Mikael asked. "How can one be a father when one is constantly chasing down his own wants?"

"He may not have stayed with me, but he loved me and he provided for me." Siobhan said passionately, unwilling to believe that Klaus had ever wronged her in any way. "Elijah was the one that raised me, but Klaus never let me down."

Mikael stood up, brushing himself off. "Denial can be a dangerous thing. Bonnie knows. Has she told you of her experience with Expression?"

Bonnie, seeing that the conversation desperately needed a new track, finally spoke up. "How are you here, Mikael?"

"I'm dead." He replied simply. "The man she so blindly defends had me chained up in a magically sealed room, weakened me with vervain, and shoved a white oak stake into my heart. Does that sound like someone capable of love to you?"

Bonnie folded her arms over her chest. "It sounds like you got exactly what you deserve. You're a monster, Mikael. Physically you may have a heart, but I'd say you're the one who's incapable of love. At least Klaus knows how to show a little mercy."

"Yes." Mikael said. "And he was so merciful when he informed me that words could not describe the joy he would feel at watching me die a second time."

The witches didn't reply.

"When we are freed from this prison," Mikael continued, looking at Bonnie. "And I'm sure we will be eventually knowing your friends, I will enjoy being able to return the favor."

Siobhan blocked out Bonnie and Mikael and let her mind wander back to her past once more.

%%%

**Georgia, 2001**

Klaus stayed long enough to help get them settled in the new house, promising to keep in touch when he left.

Late that night, after having gone to bed and finding it impossible to sleep, she went downstairs and found Elijah in the living room with a cup of tea. The television was on, but he wasn't paying attention. Thinking it was odd to find him sitting in there in his pajamas with an old Western providing background noise, she sat down on the couch and curled up beside him, comforted by his presence.

Unaccustomed to being around children, especially teenagers, Elijah hesitated for a moment before slipping a protective arm around her and dropping a kiss on top of her head.

"You have nothing to fear anymore, Siobhan." He said quietly as she laid her head on his shoulder, apparently perfectly at ease with the situation.

"I know." She replied, her gaze focused on the screen as a shootout took place. "Thank you for staying with me, Elijah."

She fell asleep that night feeling safe, and woke the next morning to find that he had carried her up to her own bed and tucked her in. She knew without a doubt that nothing bad would ever happen to her again as long as he was there.

**Except for that short time before we saw how complex Elijah Mikaelson truly is, I always thought he deserved a chance to be a father. He's dangerous, but I truly feel that that danger stems from a deeply protective nature.**


	5. Chapter 5

"You're brooding, brother." Damon said as he walked into the library and found Stefan simply staring at the open book in his hand. "Have you decided to backslid with me?"

Stefan looked up, surprised that Damon seemed to be completely sober and almost chipper. "What are you so suddenly happy about?"

Damon shrugged. "I'm just in a good mood. Why aren't you?"

Stefan, knowing his brother as well as he did, was suspicious that Damon might be up to something, but didn't pry. Damon in a good mood was rare these days. Instead he decided to be honest with him. "Elena and I went to go meet that new family the other day."

"I know." Damon said, frowning. "She yelled at me."

"For good reason." Stefan assured him.

Damon shrugged once more and sat down across from Stefan, willing to hear him out on whatever it was that was rolling around in his mind. "Well, what are they like?"

"They seem like a nice normal family." Stefan said. "Young single mother with four adopted children."

"But something's sending up red flags for you." Damon surmised as Elijah wandered in. He flashed him a quick, insincere smile. "Join the party!"

Elijah looked as surprised as Stefan had been by Damon's sudden shift in attitude. "You seem quite…jovial today."

"I've made peace with my situation." Damon replied nonchalantly.

Neither Stefan, nor Elijah believed this.

"The mother." Stefan said. "She seemed familiar for some reason. I can't figure out why."

"Does she have a name?" Damon asked. "Maybe you've met her before."

"Lucy Hollingsworth."

Damon froze, visibly recognizing the name.

"You know her?" Elijah asked.

"Not Lucy." Damon said.

%%%

**Charleston, 1860**

"Who's Lucinda?" Damon asked.

"Why Mr. Salvatore!" Rachel exclaimed, twisting around to look up at the handsome soldier standing over her. "Were you reading over my shoulder?"

Damon took a step back, holding his hands up in defense. "Of course not, Miss Rachel."

She didn't look convinced. "Mr. Salvatore, I'll have you know that this is a private letter. I do not appreciate your snooping."

"I assure you, Miss, I was not snooping." Damon promised. "I just happened to be walking by and caught sight of the name. I'm only curious."

Rachel suddenly looked shy, as if she were embarrassed of something.

Damon held out his hand to her. "Would you care to take a walk? You can tell me all about this Lucinda if you wish. Or we can speak of other things."

"Anything but the war." Rachel said as she slipped her hand into his and allowed him to lead her out of the house. "I hate this lousy war that's taken Father and my dear Charles away from me."

"I'm sure your father and brother will return to you soon enough, my dear." Damon said. "I doubt it will be a long war."

"Do you really think so?" she asked, her face full of hope.

Damon nodded. "It will all be over soon enough, and we shall all be able to return to our loved ones. But the war can't be all that bad."

"Can't it?"

"Not from my point of view." Damon explained. "I would never have met you had it not been for the war and my being unable to make it home to Virginia for Christmas. I'm very grateful to you and your mother for letting me stay here and spend the holidays with you."

Rachel blushed slightly for she had a bit of a crush on Damon Salvatore. He was quite charming, and much more interesting than any of the Charleston lads. He was also far better looking, but such things weren't all that high on her list.

"Your family must miss you a great deal." She guessed.

"It isn't easy to be away from the ones you love at Christmastime."

Rachel tilted her head so that she was looking up at him somewhat flirtatiously from under her eyelashes. Her big brown eyes sparkled as she spoke. "Do you really want to know who Lucinda is?"

"I am curious." He admitted.

"Well," she began, hesitating for a moment. "I'm afraid it's a bit embarrassing actually."

Damon smiled at her. "I give you my word that I won't laugh or tease you later. Is she an imaginary friend?"

"Not quite." Rachel said. "You see, I've always dreamed of having a daughter someday. When I do I'd like to name her Lucinda. It's such a lovely name. Don't you think?"

The enthusiasm and excitement in her voice was contagious. Damon couldn't resist feeling it as well. "Lucinda is a beautiful name, and I'm sure she will be as lovely as her mother. Why were you writing her a letter if she's not yet born?"

"Sometimes something happens that I think I'd like to share with her someday, and so I write her a letter and tell her all about it." Rachel admitted, no longer feeling embarrassed. "I'm saving them all up, and I intend to give them to her one day. It's silly, I know."

"It isn't the least bit silly." Damon argued lightly. "I think it's incredibly sweet."

%%%

**Mystic Falls, 2011**

Without another word Damon left Stefan and Elijah in the library and went up to his bedroom. Hidden in the back of the closet was an old wooden box. It was hand carved, decorated with intricate flowers and swirling vines and leaves. He dug it out and sat on the edge of the bed while he held it in his hands for a long moment, just staring at it.

Rachel's mother, Ramona, had given it to him in 1863. He had returned to Charleston to visit once on leave and had been informed that Rachel had died a few months before from cholera. Ramona had informed him that her daughter had asked her to give him this box if she ever saw him again. He had never opened it until now.

When he did he found it full of unopened letters addressed to Lucinda, opened letters from George and Charles Hollingsworth, and other trinkets and treasures Rachel had cherished. He picked up one of the letters to Lucinda and opened it. It had been written a week before she had died.

_My dearest Lucinda,_

_ I have no way of knowing if you will ever read this, but I want you to know that your mother loves you very much. I hate that I will never know you, and I don't think I shall ever forgive Mother for taking you away from me. It was the worst day of my entire life, my sweet. I only got to hold you for a moment before she made me hand you back to the doctor to be taken to the orphanage. I just know that I shall never be able to set foot in New York without wondering if the little girl that just ran by on the street was my little girl._

_ I would tell you that your father loves you very much also, except I cannot bring myself to lie to you. I will tell you, however, that I am absolutely certain he would love you very much if he knew about you. That's something else I shall never be able to forgive Mother for. I wanted so badly to write to him and tell him about you, but she wouldn't allow it._

_ I tried once. I wrote him a letter and I tried to sneak it into the mail, but she found it and threw it into the fire. I cried as I watched it burn. I will never understand my mother's actions because it seems to me that he has a right to know that he has a child._

_ If this letter has somehow found its way to you, I'm sure you're wondering who your father is. I'm afraid I can't tell you very much. I only knew him for a short time, but he is a wonderful man. Kind and gentle, fun, and incredibly mischievous!_

_ I met him at a charity ball here in Charleston, raising money for the war effort. We danced every reel and waltz they played, and he made me laugh. I'm quite certain I fell in love with him that night, and I was delighted when mother allowed him to stay with us that Christmas. He never told me why, but he was unable to make it home to Virginia to spend the holidays with his own family. _

_ Well, dearest, I must go now. Remember that I love you with all my heart, my sweet._

_Your loving mother, Rachel_

Damon folded the letter and placed it back in the box with the others. His eyes were filled with tears as he realized he had lived nearly two hundred years and had never known that he had a daughter. And now it was entirely possible that Lucy Hollingsworth, the young woman with the four adopted children, was indeed Rachel's Lucinda.

**Oh, the surprises the universe throws at us. Whatcha gonna do now, Damon?**


	6. Chapter 6

Elena stopped dead in her tracks in the doorway. She had intended on trying to get Damon to talk to her. Stefan and Elijah had informed her that he was suddenly in a good mood and she agreed with them that it seemed a little suspicious. She was afraid he had decided to do something potentially dangerous, but what she saw when she reached the bedroom they had once shared wasn't an oddly happy man.

Damon was sitting in the floor with a box in his lap and he was crying. Although Elena hated the way he had been acting the last few weeks she couldn't deny that she still loved him more than anything in the world. Seeing him cry tore her heart to pieces.

"Damon, what's wrong?" she asked gently as she crossed the room and crouched beside him. She gestured toward the box in his lap. "What is this?"

Damon wiped at his face, brushing tears away. "Something I should've opened a long time ago."

He handed her a letter and told her to read it. It was to someone named Lucinda, and Elena couldn't figure out why it had anything to do with Damon until she got to the part about Lucinda's nameless father. When she finished reading the letter she was stunned at the possible meaning of the words on the yellowed page, and sat down completely because she wasn't certain her ankles would hold her up much longer.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" she asked, still staring at the paper in her hands. "Is Lucinda's father…?"

"Me." Damon said, finishing her sentence for her. "I think so."

Finally she looked at him, her eyes wide in shock and confusion. "Damon…"

"I met Rachel Hollingsworth—"

"Hollingsworth?"

Damon nodded, motioning for her to let him finish. "I met Rachel toward the beginning of the war. We clicked. One day I caught her writing a letter to Lucinda and she eventually told me why. She was writing things down to share with her daughter someday.

"It was cold, but we stayed out for a long time that evening walking around Charleston and talking about all kinds of things." He continued. "That night…well…you know."

"You made Lucinda." Elena guessed.

He nodded. "Yeah. And I'm guessing her mother sent her to New York when she found out. They had family up there. Apparently she had the baby and it was sent to an orphanage, and Rachel was never allowed to write to me and let me know."

"What would've happened if she had written to you?" Elena asked.

"I never would've met you." He replied, reaching out and brushing her hair away from her face. "I would've married Rachel, and Stefan would've had Katherine all to himself. I probably would've moved to Charleston because there's no way I could have convinced Rachel to leave, and I probably would've died from old age in my sixties with seven or eight kids."

Elena had never thought about Damon growing old because it had never been a possibility before. But now when she looked at him she could see tiny lines appearing on his face where there hadn't been any two months ago. She tried to imagine him as an old man, but she couldn't.

"Damon, I don't want you to get old and die." She said suddenly. Her voice was a whisper and she realized how selfish she sounded, but she couldn't help it. She loved him and she wanted to keep him with her forever.

Damon took the letter, placing it back in the box, and set the box aside. He wrapped his arms around Elena and drew her into his lap, smiling when she snuggled against him. He kissed the top of her head. "I don't want to either."

"Have you thought about turning again?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Damon nodded. "Every day for a month."

She looked up at him, her hand sliding up to rest on the side of his neck where she could feel his human blood pulsing beneath the skin. She had a sudden urge to taste it, but resisted even though she knew he wouldn't mind.

"Would you?" she asked.

His nod was barely perceptible. "Do you want me too?"

Elena considered the options for a moment before answering. "I know it's selfish of me, but yes. I do want you to. I don't want to loose you again, Damon. I _can't_ loose you again."

Tears rolled down her face as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You won't."

They sat in the floor holding each other for a while before they finally got up. Damon bent to pick up the box and place it safely back in the closet, and a thought hit Elena like a brick.

"You don't think Lucy Hollingsworth is Lucinda, do you?" she asked.

Damon shut the closet and nodded. "It's possible."

"She offered us bottled water the other day when we said no to tea." Elena remembered. "I didn't think anything of it at the time, but maybe she knew we couldn't drink the tap water."

"There's only one way to find out."

"Damon, no!" Elena exclaimed, grabbing his arm. "You can't just show up on her doorstep. If she is your daughter I can only imagine what she felt the other day when Stefan and I showed up out of the blue. If she knows about you then surely she knows who he is."

"What makes you think she knows about me?" he asked. "I know for a fact she never got that letter because I have it."

Elena pushed her hair out of her face. "If Lucy is Lucinda, then she's obviously a vampire. And she picked Mystic Falls out of all the places in the world she could have chosen to raise her family. She knows who you are, Damon. Or she at least suspects."

Damon realized that her reasoning made sense. If Lucy was Lucinda and had somehow found out who her father was, it would stand to reason that she would want to do anything in her power to find him. She was his daughter after all. If this was true he wouldn't put it passed her, because he wouldn't put it passed himself, to become a vampire so that she could find him.

"Elena, we have to know if she is who we think she is." He told her. "If she's a vampire she's not safe in this town. Not with the new Council and everyone thinking we're all vampires, which most of us are. If she starts asking about me around town someone is going to suspect that she may be a vampire too. She needs to know what she's getting herself into."

Elena realized he was right and willingly followed him out of the room.

"Where are you two headed looking so determined?" Alaric asked as they all but ran by him in the hallway.

"I'm gonna need you to turn me later, Ric!" Damon called as they headed down the stairs, neither one of them bothering to answer the question.

Alaric wasn't sure what to make of the scene he had just witnessed and simply stood in the hallway trying to figure out if he had heard Damon correctly or not. The pair was clearly up to something, and although he was curious and concerned, he trusted them not to do anything completely stupid. At least he thought he did.

On second thought he followed, afraid they might be about to get themselves into something they would need help to get out of.


	7. Chapter 7

"It's probably just something you ate." Lucy said as she wiped Sabrina's face down with a cold, wet wash cloth. "You'll be better tomorrow. If not I'll take you to a doctor, okay?"

Sabrina nodded weekly, still feeling very sick to her stomach. "Why can't you just give me some of your blood? Won't that fix whatever it is?"

Lucy set the cloth on a plate and the plate on the nightstand. She reached out and tucked Sabrina's hair behind her ear, lovingly running her hand over the girls' face. "Sweetheart, I want nothing more than to make you feel better, but if I give you my blood and something happens…"

"What's going to happen to me while I'm sitting in bed?" Sabrina asked.

"You won't be sitting in bed once you're feeling better." Lucy said. "You'll be out running around with your brothers and sister, and something could happen. It's unlikely, but I will _not_ have you turned into a vampire before you're even officially a woman. You're only twelve, Sabrina, and I'm going to see to it that you have a wonderful childhood that only lasts as long as it's supposed to. You _will_ grow up."

Sabrina smiled and leaned forward to give her new mother a hug. "I love you, Lucy."

"I love you too, my sweet." Lucy said, hugging back. "Now, do you want me to bring you some pickles? They'll help settle your stomach."

Sabrina cringed and shook her head.

"You don't like pickles?" Lucy asked, sounding surprised as the doorbell rang. "What's wrong with you?"

Sabrina giggled as Lucy flicked a finger down her nose. She still felt lousy, but it was nice to know she had someone to take care of her.

Lucy kissed the girl's forehead and left the room, careful to keep a human pace as she hurried down the steps. When she opened the door she froze at the sight of her guests.

"Elena! Hi." She said, unable to control the fact that she was staring at the familiar man standing on her front porch.

Elena smiled. "This is my boyfriend Damon, Stefan's brother. Can we come in? There's something we need to talk about."

Damon was as stunned as Lucy. The seemingly young woman standing there staring at him and looking completely stunned was stunningly beautiful, and he no longer had any doubts that she was his. She looked somewhat more like her mother, but there was enough of him in her to confirm any suspicions. She was built like her mother, short and curvy, and had Rachel's half Romanian, tanned complexion. Her pretty face, currently resembling a deer caught in headlights, was a perfect mix of both of her parents, and she had his black hair and blue eyes. Her hair was currently hastily thrown up on top of her head, no doubt because she had a sick child, and she wore a red Coca-Cola t-shirt and a pair of frayed shorts. No sign of makeup or jewelry, and the dark purple polish on her nails was chipped.

Lucy wasn't ready for this. She glanced up the stairs and turned back with an apologetic look on her face. "Sabrina's sick, and…"

"It's important." Elena cut in. "Really important."

Looking from one serious face to the other Lucy realized whatever it was trumped not being ready to met the man she was almost certain was her father. Instead of making more excuses she stepped aside and invited them in, offering refreshments that were turned down.

"Are you a vampire?" Damon asked before they were even seated.

"What?" Lucy asked, thrown off guard.

Simultaneously, Elena gaped at her boyfriend and gasped. "Damon!"

He ignored Elena and focused on Lucy. "I'm sorry. I know that wasn't the best way to handle the situation, but we need to know."

"Vampire?" Lucy asked, shaking her head as if the term had her completely baffled.

Elena reached out and took the other woman's hand, giving her a beseeching look. "Lucy, please tell us. We aren't going to hurt you. We need to know so we can help you."

"Help me?"

"This town isn't safe for vampires." Damon said. "They know. They suspect us, but they haven't been able to prove anything."

"You already know there's vervain in the water." Elena said. "If they find out you're a vampire that's not all you'll have to worry about. They aren't as prepared as they used to be, but they're afraid."

Damon scooted closer to the edge of the chair he was sitting in, effectively putting himself closer to the confused looking woman across from him. "Lucy, if they find out you're a vampire they'll take your kids away and kill you if they get the chance. We don't want either of those things to happen."

Lucy tried to swallow the lump in her throat, touched that he seemed so concerned about her. She wondered if he knew who she was. Did he see her mother in her?

"Lucy?" a small voice called from the doorway.

They all turned to see Sabrina, looking rather green, and Damon suddenly realized that he might be related to this child as well.

"What is it, baby?" Lucy asked as she held out her hand, beckoning the girl to come to her. "Come here."

Sabrina walked over. "I threw up again. I missed the bed this time."

Lucy smiled at the small accomplishment, somewhat relieved that she wouldn't have to do another load of laundry, and pressed her lips to Sabrina's forehead. "You're burning up."

Sabrina nodded. "I feel really, really bad. I don't think it was something I ate."

Lucy pushed the girl's hair back, wanting badly to give her some blood and make everything better, but also afraid that if she did she would end up with a twelve year old vampire daughter. "I'm going to let you decided. Do you want to wait until tomorrow and see if you're feeling better, or do you want to go to the hospital now?"

"Hospital." Sabrina said weakly and promptly threw up on the coffee table.

"Okay. That settles it." she looked at Damon and Elena. "We'll have to continue this later."

Damon rose as Lucy gathered the child into her arms. "I'll drive you to the hospital."

"That's not necessary." Lucy said.

Elena stepped forward. "Lucy, let him drive you so you can take care of Sabrina. I'll stay here and clean up. Where are the other kids?"

"They're at the park." Lucy said, as Damon gently took Sabrina into his arms and headed for the car. "I need my shoes."

She zoomed upstairs, confirming their suspicions that she was a vampire. Not that it really mattered. They were too. And her child was sick. She had her shoes on and was in the backseat of Elena's car with Sabrina in less than a second as Damon pulled out of the driveway. She was glad she had thought to grab a couple of plastic shopping bags on the way out as Sabrina threw up once more. This time there was blood in it, and she began to panic.

"Damon, she's throwing up blood!"

"I'm going as fast as I can." He called from the front seat. "Why don't you just give her your blood?"

"_No._" Lucy said forcefully. "She's going to grow up!"

Damon understood and pressed on the gas pedal a little harder.

Meredith Fell was talking to a nurse when they came in and rushed over to help. "Damon, what's wrong?"

"She's throwing up blood." Lucy said.

Meredith began calling out orders and Sabrina was rushed to the emergency room so they could figure out what was wrong with her. Damon grabbed the doctor's arm as she hurried after the nurses.

"Damon, I can't help her if you don't let me go." She said.

Damon's eyes were hard and determined. "You will not _help_ her. Do you understand? No vampire blood."

The last few words were whispered and Meredith nodded as she walked away, leaving Damon to console the worried mother.

Lucy was crying, terrified something horrible was wrong with Sabrina, and Damon acted on instinct, putting his arms around her and pulling her close.

"She'll be fine." He assured her. "Meredith's the best doctor in town."

After a moment Lucy was able to control her emotions and allowed Damon to lead her to the waiting room. She looked up at him as he sat beside her. "Do…do you know who I am?"

Damon nodded. "Yeah. I wasn't completely sure until I saw you. You look more like your mother, but there's definitely some me in there. It's nice to meet you."

Lucy let out a shaky breath and smiled through her tears. "It's nice to meet you too."

Damon plucked a couple of tissues from the box on a nearby table and handed them to her.

Lucy took them and began drying her face. "She's yours too, you know. Sabrina."

"Now, I know there's no possible way I have a thirteen year old daughter." He joked in an attempt to get a smile from her.

It worked. Lucy laughed lightly, balling the tissues in her hand. "She's twelve. Sabrina and her brothers are your great-great-great-great-great grandchildren."

Damon smiled at the thought. "Sabrina Salvatore."

"Westbrook, actually." She corrected, suddenly feeling much less worried as doctors and nurses worked to figure out what was wrong with Sabrina in some other part of the hospital. She was still extremely worried, as any good parent, or great-great-great-great grandparent, would be, but she was comforted knowing that her father was there with her. Even if she had only just met him less than an hour ago.


	8. Chapter 8

"I know you're not supposed to ask a lady her age, but under the circumstances I'm sure you understand my curiosity." Damon said as he casually flipped though an old issue of _People_.

Lucy smiled as she retied her hair and tried to get comfortable in the hard plastic chair. "Why don't they make these things with cushion?"

Damon shrugged. "One of life's many mysteries, I guess. Such as how old my daughter is."

"One hundred and fifty-one." Lucy replied proudly.

"Born in 1861." Damon figured, quickly doing the math in his head. "I should've known that."

Lucy smiled, silently agreeing. "I was twenty-one when I was turned in 1882."

"By?" he asked.

"A vampire named Lorenzo."

Damon wasn't sure he liked the telling smile on her face. "Did he go by Enzo?"

Lucy nodded. "Yes, but he insisted on calling me _Lucinda_, so I returned the favor and insisted on calling him _Lorenzo_."

Damon didn't have a chance to truly appreciate the irony of the fact that Enzo had been the one to turn Lucy because Meredith came into the waiting room and Lucy leapt out of her uncomfortable chair.

"Is she okay?" Lucy demanded.

Meredith smiled at her. "She's going to be fine."

"You didn't _help_ her, did you Meredith?" Damon asked.

"You told me not to."

"Good."

Lucy looked confused.

"Dr. Fell, here has an amazing talent for miraculous recoveries." Damon explained. He lowered his voice to a loud whisper. "She likes to use vampire blood. She knocked me out and siphoned me, which is how Elena became a vampire."

Lucy's eyes grew wide at the information and she stared at Meredith.

"Don't worry." Meredith assured her. "Sabrina will be fine, and I didn't give her any vampire blood."

"What was wrong?" Lucy asked.

"Food poisoning." Meredith said simply. "She has a stomach ulcer and the acid from throwing up caused it to start bleeding. You'll have to keep her on a very bland diet for a while until the ulcer heals, and I want to keep her overnight just to make sure everything is okay."

Lucy nodded, awash with relief. "Can I see her?"

Meredith led her away and Damon remained where he was, pulling out his phone to call Elena and let her know.

%%%

"Congratulations, brother." Damon said, leaning against the doorway to Stefan's bedroom where his brother and Caroline were currently in various stages of undress and about to tumble into bed. "You're an uncle."

"What?" Stefan asked, clearly confused.

"Damon!" Caroline exclaimed, ducking behind Stefan to cover herself.

"Oh, calm down, Blondie." Damon replied. "This isn't the first time I've seen you in a bra and panties."

Caroline glared at him, receiving a mocking glare in return.

"Damon, what are you talking about?" Stefan asked.

"Don't you remember? You and Elena, me and Caroline. You gave Elena a vervain necklace to protect her, I compelled Caroline to do whatever I wanted her to do. Fun times."

Caroline grabbed a pillow and threw it at him as hard as she could. And missed.

"You need to work on your aim." Damon teased.

"You said I'm an uncle." Stefan said. "How?"

"Well, little brother," Damon began. "When a man and a woman love each other…actually they don't even have to love each other…"

"Damon." Stefan cut in.

Damon smiled. "Okay, okay. Get dressed and come downstairs. I'll fill everyone in."

"He'll never change, will he?" Caroline asked as she pulled her dress over her head.

"Do you really want him to?" Stefan countered.

Caroline smiled. "I guess not. Damon any other way wouldn't really be Damon, would he?"

"No." Stefan agreed, stealing a quick kiss. "He wouldn't."

Once everyone was gathered downstairs, with the exception of Alaric who had scared Elena when he entered Lucy's house without warning and almost had his throat ripped out, Damon explained the situation.

"Wait." Stefan said after Damon had explained that there hadn't really been any problem keeping him from getting home that Christmas. "You lied so you could stay in Charleston? Why didn't you just tell us the truth?"

"Do you really think Dad would've approved of my wanting to spend Christmas in Charleston because I had a crush on some girl I'd spent one evening with?" Damon asked. "Come on, Stefan."

"Good point."

Damon turned his attention to Enzo. "And by the way, _Lorenzo_, I guess I should thank you for giving me a chance to meet my daughter. That I didn't even know I had until today."

"_You_ turned Lucy?" Caroline asked.

"Yes." Enzo confirmed. "At the time she was Lucy McIntyre. Her husband had just run off with some Irish barmaid and she had three children. I don't remember exactly how I met her, but I took a liking to her and she asked if I would turn her when she found out what I was. Damon, your daughter is a lovely girl."

"I'm not sure how I feel about that." Damon said.

"Is the child alright?" Elijah asked.

Damon nodded. "She'll be fine. They're keeping her overnight for observation. Why?"

Elijah suddenly looked wistful, as if he were remembering some fond memory. "I understand the fear Lucy felt today. It's incredibly terrifying to realize your child is hurt or sick and there's nothing you can do to help."

"How would you know?" Caroline asked, sounding a little rude even though she hadn't meant to.

"Siobhan may not be my flesh and blood, Caroline, but she was still my daughter." Elijah explained. "I nearly had a panic attack when she broke her arm when she was fifteen. She had been over at a friend's house and had managed to fall out of a tree. I got a call from the girl's mother saying that they had rushed Siobhan to the hospital. Had she been alone with me when it happened I could have fixed the problem easily, but under the circumstances there was nothing I could do except pick her up from the hospital and let her arm heal naturally so no one grew suspicious."

Caroline smiled at the story, shaking her head slightly. "I just can't imagine you as a concerned father."

"You should've seen me when she came home late from her senior prom." Elijah replied, amusing his audience. "The sun had just come up, and I still don't believe that they had simply been wandering around town talking."

Listening to the stories and seeing the look on Elijah's face made Damon realize suddenly just how much he loved the red headed witch. The realization made him even more determined to find a way to bring back both Bonnie and Siobhan. And he was almost certain that Elijah would be more than willing to help.


	9. Chapter 9

Enzo groaned mildly when Damon pulled him aside later and informed him that he intended to find a way to bring Bonnie and Siobhan back.

"Damon, my friend, everyone is just beginning to get over their grief." He said. "Caroline actually smiled at me today."

"You're never going to get her." Damon insisted.

"I know that." Enzo assured him, smiling slightly. "But it was still nice to see her smile. If you go dragging all of that back up you're just going to make everyone miserable again."

"Look, I don't really care if you help or not." Damon said, determinedly. "I thought you might be interested, but I can do it without you. And I _will _do it."

"How can I help?"

Damon turned to see Elijah standing in the doorway, jacketless and rolling up his sleeve. Smiling, Damon picked up a glass and handed it to his new ally wordlessly.

"You know this isn't going to turn out very well, right?" Enzo complained as Elijah bit into his wrist and let his blood drip into the glass. "What is Elena going to say when she finds out what you're doing?"

Damon drew the glass back once it had a decent amount of Elijah's blood in it. "One, Elena and I already talked about my becoming a vampire again. She's one hundred percent on board with the idea. Two, when did _you_ become the voice of reason?"

Enzo simply shrugged as he watched Damon down Elijah's blood in one swift gulp. "Have it your way."

Before Elijah or Damon could act Enzo flashed across the room, snapped Damon's neck, and disappeared. Elijah, hoping his blood was securely in Damon's system, moved quickly to catch Damon's body and ease him onto a sofa.

"Elena's staying at Lucy's for the night." Alaric informed Stefan as they approached the room. "Lucy's staying at the hospital with Sabrina, and she asked Elena to stay with the other kids. I offered to stay with her, but she insisted she had everything under control. I still can't believe Damon has a daughter."

"Imagine how I feel." Stefan said as they entered the room to find Damon laid out on the couch and Elijah casually reading. "I just became and uncle. Is he drunk again?"

"He's dead." Elijah replied simply, holding up a hand to stop them as they both advanced on him. "You can't kill me."

"Did you kill Damon?" Alaric demanded.

Elijah set the book aside as his phone rang. "Technically, Enzo killed him. But don't worry. He'll wake up soon. I suggest you call Matt as he'll be hungry. Hello, Niklaus."

"Brother, you need to get back to New Orleans _right now_." Klaus said angrily as Elijah left Stefan and Alaric to tend to Damon. "Davina's gone off the rails."

"What's going on?" Elijah asked.

"She's sealed me in the attic and has told Francesca that we're all dead." Klaus informed his brother. "I admire her wish to help us rid the city of the Guerrera wolves, but I'm afraid she's taken the wrong path of action."

"Davina's a smart girl, Klaus." Elijah said. "Young, inexperienced, and greatly moved by emotions, but smart. Besides, she's got Hayley, Marcel, and the Crescents on her side. I'm sure she's perfectly safe."

"The Guerreras believe Marcel and every other vampire in the world are dead." Klaus explained. "I'm sure Hayley is more than willing to help the girl, but I can't be sure about Jackson, Oliver, and the rest of them. They aren't exactly on our side, brother. And Cami doesn't stand a chance against an angry pack of wolves. I need you to come home and free me from this prison. I cannot make the city a safe place for our family if I'm being held prisoner!"

Elijah opened his mouth to say he would be there soon, but remembered that Damon was working on a plan to return Siobhan to him. He intended to help. "I'm sorry, Niklaus. I cannot leave just yet."

"What do you mean you can't leave?" Klaus demanded. "What happened to always and forever?"

"Always and forever is a very long time, brother." Elijah said, walking toward the bedroom Enzo was currently occupying. "I have another family matter to attend to here in Mystic Falls. I will send someone to help."

Without giving his brother a chance to protest Elijah hung up and entered Enzo's room without invitation. He grabbed the younger vampire roughly by the arm and dragged him out of the room, ignoring his demands to be turned loose until they were back in the library with the Salvatores and Alaric. Damon was just starting to wake up.

"Klaus needs a bit of help in New Orleans." Elijah announced, hearing both Matt and Tyler come through the front door. "I intend to remain here and assist Damon with whatever plan he's developed to bring back our witches. Alaric, would you please take Enzo with you and find a way to free my brother from the church attic he's been magically imprisoned in?"

His words were met with blank stares.

"It was not a request." He explained.

Although Alaric was himself an Original vampire, he certainly wasn't as old or as angry as Elijah seemed to be at the moment. Glancing at Damon who was sitting up and rubbing his neck, he decided that it would be best to comply with Elijah's wishes. When Enzo began to protest he dragged him out of the room.

"I know you haven't had that much experience with the Mikaelsons." Alaric said as he pushed Enzo toward the stairs. "Elijah's been pretty docile while he's been here, but underestimating him is one of the stupidest things you could possibly do. We're going to New Orleans."

Enzo let out a resigned sign, realizing that he had never had a choice in the matter, and pulled free of Alaric's grasp. "Alright, mate. I'll go. No need to be so pushy."

"What's going on?" Tyler demanded.

"Go feed Damon." Alaric said as he and Enzo went upstairs to pack for their trip.

"Feed Damon?" Matt asked, as confused as his friend.

"Yes." Elijah said. "He's in transition. I assume you've both spent enough time around vampires to know what that means, and since you're currently two of the only human's left in town…"

Matt shook his head. "No way."

"He will die if you do not." Elijah reminded him. "Do you really want to do that to Elena?"

"She's not going to be very happy when she finds out you turned him." Tyler said.

"On the contrary. She'll be very happy. It was Damon's choice, and from what I understand, Elena is perfectly fine with his becoming a vampire again." Elijah said. "Now, either go find someone else to complete his transition, or do it yourselves."

Damon appeared behind Elijah, flashing his usual ironically wolfish grin. "Don't worry. I won't completely drain you. I'm doing this for Elena, and I really don't think it would help me any if I killed either one of the two of you."

Elijah exited as both boys hesitated, growing tired of watching the scene.

Damon sighed. "Donovan, you've got that damn Gilbert ring. Come here."

"There's no more Other Side, Damon." Matt reminded him. "What if the ring doesn't work anymore? There's no where for me to go if you accidentally kill me."

Damon smiled. "I know for a fact that you're wrong. I was just there. Bonnie says hi."

Matt continued to hesitate, and Damon understood that he didn't believe him. He was being completely honest, but he didn't have the chance to try to assure Matt of the fact because Elijah swooped out of nowhere and grabbed Matt from behind, biting into his neck, and shoving him forcefully across the room. Damon caught him and happily completed his transition, careful not to completely drain Matt on the off chance that he hadn't actually been on the Other Side with Bonnie and Siobhan.

He dropped Matt on the floor and wiped blood from him face, fangs flashing. "Thanks Donovan."

Tyler rushed forward to help his friend, glaring up at Damon as he helped Matt sit up. "What the hell could Elena possibly see in you?"

Damon shrugged. "Herself."

"I'm okay, Ty." Matt insisted as he covered his bleeding wound with his hand. He looked up at Elijah and Damon. "You didn't have to attack me."

"You were taking too long." Elijah said simply as the pair wandered off to begin planning.

Stefan held out his hand and pulled Matt to his feet, simultaneously biting into his wrist. "You shouldn't be walking around town with a vampire bite right now."

Matt drank some of Stefan's blood and he and Tyler left as soon as his wound was healed, both of them still reeling somewhat from the entire encounter.

"We really need to find some new friends." Tyler said.

"I'd love to, but I don't think it's possible." Matt said. "Even if we refuse to help any of them, we're still useful as leverage. Have you decided if you're going to trigger the curse again?"

"No way." Tyler said firmly. "Not even if someone's willing to turn me back into a hybrid. I'm not going through that again."

"What if you kill someone again?" Matt asked.

"I won't."

Matt understood that Tyler didn't want to be a werewolf again, but he feared there wasn't much chance of avoiding killing someone. Especially with the supernatural war that seemed to be brewing in town.

**Just to let y'all know, and this may not happen, I intend to try to pay more attention to the novel I'm desperately trying to write. That means updates for this story may not come as fast as usual. Stick with me though, because I promise I will finish this story!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Short chapter, but it's better than nothing, right?**

Klaus was pacing back and forth, muttering to himself about how the young witch Davina had greatly inconvenienced him by locking him in the attic. Alaric and Enzo could both hear him as they approached the deserted church.

"And she entrusts me to Josh's care." He muttered. "She wouldn't even have him if it weren't for me."

Alaric tried not to take pleasure from Klaus' discomfort, but he couldn't resist smiling a little after all the horrible things Klaus had done to him and the people he loved most.

Cami led them into the church she had been trying to stay away from as much as possible since her uncle had died, and promptly let out a somewhat terrified shriek as something, or more likely someone, whooshed by and snatched up Enzo. She relaxed when she saw that it was only Josh, who was apparently standing guard as per Davina's directions. The poor kid was practically her puppy, willing to do anything for her at the smallest hint of a request.

"Josh!" she cried. "It's okay. He's with me."

"Davina said not to let anyone in." Josh replied. "Not even you."

Enzo reached up and took hold of Josh's hand, using his greater strength to crush the bones and thereby negotiate his release. "Clearly I'm older than you are in more than one way, and my friend here is an Original. You're going to want to let us alone, mate."

Josh screamed at the pain in his hand, and looked at the tall blonde man standing with Cami as his bones repaired themselves. "You're one of Klaus' brothers?"

Alaric sighed, growing annoyed with everyone assuming he was a Mikaelson simply because he was an Original. "No. I'm a much newer Original."

Josh looked confused, but Cami didn't have the patience to explain everything to him right now. Instead she simply made introductions. "Josh, this is Alaric Saltzman and Enzo…I don't know his last name. Ric, Enzo, this is Josh. If you hurt him you'll have a very angry Harvest Girl to deal with."

"Cami, I'm not supposed to let anyone in here." Josh said, fumbling for an explanation.

"We know Klaus is alive." Cami assured him. "Davina didn't think to take his phone away."

"Huh?" Josh asked.

"Klaus called Elijah for help, and Elijah sent us." Alaric explained, pushing passed the young vampire as Cami headed for the stairs to the attic. He glanced back at Enzo who was following closely, more than likely ready to tear Josh's arm off if he tried to stop them again. "What is your last name anyway?"

"Do you really care?" Enzo replied.

"Not really."

Enzo smirked as they ascended the stairs. "Then it doesn't matter, now does it. So that's Klaus."

At their appearance Klaus zoomed across the room, hitting the barrier with a force that would've splintered a normal door even if it had been a metal one. "Get me _out_ of here!"

Alaric smiled at him, careful to stay out of reach so that he couldn't be pulled inside. "Good to see you again too buddy."

Klaus glared at him. "I assure you we are _not_ buddies."

"Well, you did hijack my body once so I sort of figured we had some kind of twisted bond." Alaric replied.

"You've spent far too much time with Damon." Klaus snarled. "Why on earth did my brother send the two of you to help? There's nothing you can do to get me out of here."

"Threatening witches happens to be a specialty of mine." Enzo commented dryly, folding his arms over his chest and leaning nonchalantly against the wall as if he had all the time in the world.

"I won't let you hurt Davina." Josh said protectively.

Enzo turned to look at him. "Have you already forgotten the little talk we had downstairs? I'm more than happy to refresh your memory."

"Josh." Cami said, intervening. "Go back downstairs."

Josh started to leave, but Alaric was faster, grabbing him and shoving him into the room with Klaus.

"What the hell?" Josh complained. "What did you do that for?"

Klaus grinned, draping an arm around Josh's shoulders. "Now Davina has no choice but to remove the spell." He gave Alaric a look of approval. "Maybe you can be useful."

"Where is Davina?" Alaric asked.

"I'm sure she's having the run of my home." Klaus replied. "Cami can take you there."

"Davina's not going to lift the spell even if I'm in here." Josh said. "We're safer in here than out there with all the werewolves."

Enzo flashed that wicked grin once more. "From what I've heard I'm sure Klaus wouldn't be above killing you to make a point."

"You're quite right, but he is very useful at times." Klaus said. "I'd like to keep him around. What with all the wolves roaming around we need all the vampires we can get. Don't worry, Joshua. You're safe with me."

"Until we set the church on fire." Enzo remarked as he turned and followed Cami and Alaric back downstairs. "Then she'll have no choice but to set you both free to save you from the inferno."

"This city's been burned enough!" Klaus shouted after them and was ignored.

"You're not really going to set the church on fire?" Cami asked, casting pleading eyes on Alaric and knowing that it was pointless to try to stop them.

Alaric Saltzman may not be as manipulative and prone to violence as other vampires, but she had no doubt he wouldn't do whatever it took to save the ones he loved. She was fairly certain he didn't feel anything akin to love for Klaus, but he did love the people that were back in Mystic Falls with Elijah, who was certainly capable of killing someone to make a point if they didn't free Klaus in a timely manner.


	11. Chapter 11

**Apparently I'm doing just fine working on two stories at once. I hope my attention to my novel hasn't taken away from the quality of these last two chapters (Not that kind of last! Don't worry. There's more to come.) Please let me know if it has. Enjoy!**

_"Klaus!" Siobhan called as she ran out of the house, the screen door banging behind her, and all but jumped over the steps._

_ She leapt into his arms greeting him with a big hug and a kiss, excited as always to see him._

_ "Hello, love." Klaus replied, returning the hug and kiss before setting her back on her feet. He kept one arm around the fifteen year old as he flashed his brother a smile. "Elijah."_

_ Elijah stood on the porch, happy to see his brother, but remaining far calmer than the girl that had become very much his child over the course of two short years. "Welcome back, brother. I trust you'll only be staying with us a short time as usual?"_

_ "You would be correct, brother." Klaus said as he retrieved his bag from the car and followed Siobhan toward the house._

_ "Why don't you ever stay very long, Klaus?" she asked, feeling sad already at the knowledge that he would only be here for a few days. "I could use a fun parent, you know. Elijah can be so dull and boring sometimes."_

_ Klaus grinned. "Trust me, love. I know. But I'm afraid I just don't love you enough to stay. Tracking down Katherine Pierce and exacting my revenge is far more important to me than your well-being."_

Siobhan shot out of the dream as if something had grabbed her. "No!"

Bonnie sat up, not even realizing that she had been asleep for the first time since the Other Side had come crashing down and she and Damon had entered this temporary purgatory. "Siobhan, what's wrong?"

Siobhan looked around the room and found Mikael sitting by the fire, seemingly innocent. "How dare you?" she demanded, her gray eyes shooting daggers across the room at him. "How _dare_ you sneak into my head and mess with my memories?"

Mikael's calm demeanor didn't change. "I'm only trying to help you see the truth of the situation. That my son never really cared for you."

Siobhan was on her feet in less than a second, anger and annoyance quickly building up inside her. "How can you even call him your son? He's not your blood, and you've done absolutely nothing but make that perfectly clear. You've done nothing but hate and despise him! A son is someone you're supposed to love unconditionally, and you don't have the slightest idea what love is you…you…you _weasel_!"

Mikael didn't seem to be impressed with her outburst, but Bonnie was immensely amused at the fact that her new friend had called an extremely angry and dangerous man that had lived for more than a thousand years with only one purpose in life a weasel. She was certain that Siobhan could come up with a better insult after having spent so much time with Elijah, but she liked the comparison. Of course, she felt sorry for the weasel having to be likened to something as vile as Mikael.

Instead of arguing further Mikael simply got up and walked away, leaving the witches alone.

Siobhan picked up a ceramic vase that was somehow only chipped and threw it against the wall, sending it smashing into hundreds of tiny shards that scattered themselves across the floor, screaming as she did so.

"Elijah may have been the one that raised you, but you definitely got Klaus' temper." Bonnie commented.

"That man, that _monster_, is a sorry excuse for a human being!" Siobhan said. "Even if he is a vampire!"

Bonnie tried hard not to laugh even though Siobhan's somewhat incoherent ranting was quite amusing. She was proud of herself for holding it in, and decided her best option was to simply let Siobhan get it all out of her system.

"What I wouldn't give right now to be able to drive a stake through him myself!" Siobhan continued. "And I'll be damned if I'm letting him get out of here!"

"And how do you plan on keeping him here?" Bonnie asked.

"According to Esther and Tessa this place will cease to exist once someone finds a way to bring you back." Siobhan reminded her. "You're still the anchor, Bonnie. When they find a way to free us we'll just have to make sure you get back before he has a chance."

"You think he's just going to sit around and let us both go back, knowing that I'm the only reason this place still exists?"

"Fine. Then you'll go back and I'll stay here."

"No." Bonnie said firmly, jumping to her feet. "No way. You're going back. I got Damon back to Elena, and now I'm going to get you back to Elijah. Even if this place has to self destruct with me in it to keep Mikael from getting back too."

Siobhan spun around, staring Bonnie down. "Don't you dare play martyr with me, Bonnie Bennett! Are you forgetting that I spent time with Damon and Katherine as well as Klaus and Elijah? Don't you even think for a second that you're going to be able to get me to give in as easily as you convinced Damon."

Bonnie stared right back. "I won't underestimate you, Siobhan, but you shouldn't underestimate me either. I've fought against and worked alongside all four of them. I may not be as powerful as you or have as much experience as you, but I'm not some newbie witch that has no clue what she's doing. I can be just as damn stubborn as Damon, and you're crazy if you think I'm going to let _you_ play martyr!

"We'll figure out a way to get out of here and leave Mikael behind, or we'll just have to kill him again." Bonnie continued, finally calming down. "Maybe it'll stick the third time. Now, why don't you stop yelling at me and tell me what memory the weasel messed with and how it really happened."

Siobhan blinked at Bonnie's ability to switch from anger to calm so quickly. She had no doubt it was a product of having to deal with all the crazy and dangerous things she had had to deal with in the last few years, but it spooked her into calming down because it was so perfectly Elijah. Taking a deep breath and forcing herself to sit down, she recounted the memory Mikael had tampered with and shared with Bonnie what had really happened that day.

%%%

**Georgia, 2003**

"Klaus!" Siobhan called as she ran out of the house, the screen door banging behind her, and all but jumped over the steps.

She leapt into his arms greeting him with a big hug and a kiss, excited as always to see him.

"Hello, love." Klaus replied, returning the hug and kiss before setting her back on her feet. He kept one arm around the fifteen year old as he flashed his brother a smile. "Elijah."

Elijah stood on the porch, happy to see his brother, but remaining far calmer than the girl that had become very much his child over the course of two short years. "Welcome back, brother. I trust you'll only be staying with us a short time as usual?"

"On the contrary, brother." Klaus said as he retrieved his bag from the car and followed Siobhan toward the house. "I've decided to take a bit of a break from my…business. It seems I've been craving the affections of a certain young witch as of late."

Siobhan smiled, still brimming with excitement. "How long are you staying?"

Klaus' arm remained lovingly around her shoulders as they climbed the steps together and followed Elijah inside. "How does an entire month sound?"

"I'm not certain we can stand you for an entire month, Niklaus." Elijah teased.

"I can." Siobhan assured him, giving him another impromptu hug. "I could use a fun parent, you know. Elijah can be a little dull and boring sometimes."

"Trust me, love." Klaus said. "I know."

"Nonsense!" Elijah argued, smiling. "I let you attempt to drive the car up a tree last week."

Siobhan stuck her tongue out. "You should've told me to stop!"

"Please forgive me for assuming that your 20/20 eyesight was good enough to see the large oak tree in the middle of Mrs. Robertson's front yard." Elijah retorted, relishing the sight of her smile. "Her poor garden gnome didn't stand a chance."

"You ran over Montrose?" Klaus asked, well aware of Mrs. Robertson's odd fondness for her disturbing looking ceramic lawn gnome. "Poor old fellow."

Siobhan shrugged. "The way she talks about him, you'd think he would've been able to jump out of the way. I bought her a new gnome."

"Yes." Elijah said. "And we attended the funeral and wake she held for poor old Montrose. It was quite lovely in a very disturbed sort of way. Did you know that her grandson actually made that ugly little gnome for her in one of his art classes?"

"I did not." Klaus said, looking somewhat impressed. "Shame on you, Shiv. Killing a poor old woman's gift from her grandson."

Siobhan giggled, unable to hide her amusement at the situation, and was glad when both Klaus and Elijah laughed with her, although she couldn't help but feel a little twinge of guilt as she wandered off to her bedroom. Mrs. Robertson had truly loved that scary gnome.


	12. Chapter 12

"What's that look for?" Caroline asked, scrunching up her face in scrutiny of Damon's.

Damon looked up as if he had just come out of a trance. "What?"

"I asked what that face was for?" Caroline repeated as she settled on the arm of Stefan's chair, happily slipping her arm around his shoulders.

"What face?" Damon asked.

"You're brooding, brother." Stefan explained, widening his eyes in a teasing manner and imitating Damon, which got a giggle out of Caroline.

Damon got up and automatically reached for a bottle to pour himself a drink. Caroline jumped up and snatched it away from him. "No!"

"Caroline!" Damon complained.

She raised her eyebrows and gave him her patented I'm-getting-my-way-no-matter-what look. "No. Remember what Elena said? No drinking on family night. Your _grandkids_ are coming over, Damon!"

Damon still wasn't certain how he felt about being a grandfather, or a great-great-great-great-great grandfather technically. Or a father for that matter. But Elena had been so excited when she had suggested inviting Lucy and the kids over for a movie night and some good, old fashioned family bonding. Caroline had instantly jumped on the bandwagon, making it impossible for Damon and Stefan to wiggle out of it. Elijah had watched the exchange with amusement and had finally tossed in his two cents saying that he thought it was a good idea as well.

Liz and Jeremy had been invited since they were obviously family being Caroline's mother and Elena's brother/cousin, but Liz unfortunately was on duty that evening. Matt and Tyler had been invited as well, but they had both declined, claiming to already have plans. Damon couldn't imagine what they could possibly have to do, but he didn't really care. They may be part of the group, which technically made them part of the family, but he still didn't really care for either one of them. Tyler was annoying, and Matt had little to offer other than making good leverage because everyone else loved him and wanted to keep him alive and human. Actually, Tyler was pretty much the same now. Pointless and annoying, but somehow required.

"Damon?" Caroline prodded, pulling him out of his thoughts once more. "Are you okay?"

"Peachy." He assured her, giving up on the drink he so desperately wanted. She was right. He had made a promise to Elena that he wouldn't drink tonight. "I was just thinking about what Dad would've said if he had ever found out about Lucy."

"Apparently you don't think it would've been all that great." Caroline said as she placed the bottle back on the table and settled back on the arm of the chair, once again slipping her arm around Stefan, who gave her a look that said her assumption was a huge understatement.

"Caroline," Damon said as the doorbell rang. "Our father didn't like me very much. Stefan was the perfect son that could do no wrong. I was the disappointment that didn't agree with him about the war. Among other things."

With that he went to answer the door, knowing it was Lucy and the kids because Jeremy was in the kitchen helping Elena and Elijah with popcorn and other refreshments.

He pasted a smile on his face, which he suddenly realized was real, and opened the door to an unexpected hug from Sabrina. "I see you're feeling better. What's this for?"

Sabrina smiled up at him. "I just wanted to thank you for driving me to the hospital the other day."

Damon suddenly knew what the Grinch must have felt like as his heart filled with unexpected love for this twelve-year-old girl. Not that he had had any aversion to these kids in the first place. He just wasn't all that great with kids, and he certainly had no clue what to make of this particular group that was connected to him by blood. Except for the blonde one, Megan, who was apparently a package deal.

He ushered them all inside, awkwardly playing host as he introduced Stefan and Caroline.

"Who wants popcorn?" Elena asked cheerfully as she entered the room, leading the snack procession.

"What did you do?" Stefan asked as he took a bowl of popcorn to share with Caroline. "Break into a theatre and steal the entire snack bar?"

"I told you it was too much." Jeremy chided as he settled in the floor with Aiden and Megan.

Elena shrugged as she snuggled up on the couch next to Damon, who looked the tiniest bit uncomfortable with a lap full of Noah. "We didn't know what Lucy and the kids liked, so we did a little bit of everything. And don't fuss at me. It was Elijah's idea."

Caroline failed to stifle a surprised giggle.

Elijah looked amused. "Are you still having a hard time seeing me as a parent, Caroline?"

"I'm sorry!" Caroline exclaimed, throwing her hands up and almost upsetting the popcorn bowl balanced on her knees. "It's just a little hard to picture you, the impeccably dressed, old world mannered Original, wrangling a teenage girl after having seen you rip someone's heart out of their chest!"

As soon as the words were out Caroline clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing what she had said.

"Caroline!" Elena fussed, gesturing to the kids scattered about the room.

Caroline's eyes grew huge. "Oh my god. Lucy, I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay." Lucy assured her. "They know all about vampires and what we're capable of."

"And we didn't exactly grow up in a fairytale." Megan added. "At least I didn't. They had wonderful parents that loved them. I was the unwanted orphan."

Silence fell over the group and Damon realized why Lucy had taken in the fourth child when she hadn't had to. She knew what it was like to grow up in an orphanage assuming your parents hadn't wanted you. All at once he felt extremely protective of Lucy and her children, suddenly not minding the fact that Noah had made a chair out of him. These kids were his family, his blood, and Ramona, however noble her intentions, had deprived him of the chance to get to know his own daughter. As Lucy settled beside him with Sabrina half in her lap, Damon decided that if anyone tried to harm even one hair on any of their heads there would be hell to pay.

"So," Elena said, changing the subject. "What movie are we watching?"

"Sabrina picked." Lucy said, causing Sabrina's siblings to emit a collectively annoyed grown as Sabrina handed Elijah the DVD.

"Enchanted." Elijah announced as he loaded the disc into the player.

"She _always_ picks Enchanted!" Aiden complained.

"Is that a Disney movie?" Stefan asked.

"A Disney movie?" Damon repeated, complaining openly. "I don't want to watch a Disney movie."

"Too bad." Elena said firmly, a teasing glint in her eyes. "Welcome to the world of grandparenthood."

Elijah turned out the lights and everyone shushed everyone else as the movie started. Noah leaned back against Damon, his six year old body pressing warmly against Damon's abs. Elena snuggled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder, and Lucy seemed perfectly at home on the other side with her head inadvertently resting against the arm he had stretched out across the back of the couch as she settled in.

Damon looked around the room and decided that he could get used to having family movie nights, something normal in a sea of supernatural craziness.

**There's your family bonding chapter, Maria! It wasn't a vampire movie as you suggested, but I think we have more than enough vampires in that room to satisfy our blood lust. Thanks for the brainstorming session!**


	13. Chapter 13

Sabrina caught movement out of the corner of her eye and took her attention away from the movie long enough to watch her little brother wriggle out of Damon's lap and settle in the floor at his feet. Since she had seen the movie so many times she could practically quote it word for word, she didn't mind missing a little bit of it to peek around Lucy and study Damon for a while.

She wasn't really old enough yet to be interested in boys, but there was no doubt in her young mind that there were probably a lot of girls in the world that would be very interested in Damon Salvatore. When she had met Stefan and Elena the other day she had thought they looked like a couple of nice older teenagers (not knowing that Stefan was far from a teenager even though he didn't look much older than Aiden), but Damon looked…almost dangerous. Taking into consideration the fact that he was now a vampire again, she supposed he _was_ dangerous.

Had she not been so sick when she had first met him she would've been a little scared of him even though he had been perfectly nice. There was just something about his black hair and blue eyes, so like Lucy's, and the fact that he wore dark colors that mixed with something about his personality and sent off warning bells in her head. And yet she felt perfectly safe with him now that she knew he was a friend and not an enemy. More than a friend. He was her family.

Lucy had explained to them that he was her father, which had confused Noah at first because he didn't look much older than Lucy, and that meant that they were direct descendants of his. Sabrina could easily trace her family tree all the way back to Damon and Stefan, and she couldn't help but wonder how she was going to explain the relationship to her friends. It was easy enough to say that Lucy was her adopted mother, but what was she supposed to call Damon? Grandpa? That definitely didn't seem right.

She sat up a little straighter as she realized that she had never thought of Lucy as any kind of mother until now. A guardian, friend, and caregiver, yes, but not a mother. She knew that's what she was now, but she wasn't ready to let go of her own mother who had died so tragically just a few months ago.

Thinking about her parents and how they had died in that fire made her eyes fill with tears even though they hadn't reached the sad part of the movie yet. She was only twelve, but she knew that her parents had been murdered. Lucy had been honest with them even though she had been forced to lie to the police and say it had been faulty wiring in the house that had caused the fire. In fact, it had been another vampire that was angry at Lucy for some unknown reason Lucy didn't want to talk about.

A tear rolled down her cheek and she couldn't handle being in the room anymore with all these people that were having such a nice time watching the movie she had picked and simply being together. Unable to hold back the tears any longer she jumped up and ran out of the huge, almost scary looking house.

"Sabrina!" Lucy called after her as the movie was paused.

Damon got up to follow when Lucy went to check on Sabrina, but she stopped him. "No. I think it would be better if Elena went with me."

Damon nodded and sat back down as Elena and Lucy hurried after the girl. Noah crawled back into his lap, looking up at him with eyes that were full of worry for his sister.

"Why is it better if Elena goes?" he asked. "You're our family."

Damon didn't want to answer the question because he didn't want to remind Noah and Aiden that their parents were dead, but it was clear that he had no choice. "Because Elena knows exactly what Sabrina's feeling right now."

"Because she's a vampire?" Noah asked, not understanding. "So are you."

Jeremy took over much to Damon's relief. "Noah, a few years ago mine and Elena's parents died in a car accident."

Noah's sweet, innocent face suddenly clouded with sadness. "Oh."

"Elena almost died in that accident too." Jeremy continued. "But Stefan saved her."

Damon and Stefan exchanged a look none of the kids noticed.

"So…you almost lost your parents and your sister?" Aiden asked.

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah. We also lost our aunt not long after that."

"What happened to her?" Megan asked curiously, hoping she wasn't being rude.

All eyes turned toward Elijah.

"You want to take that one?" Damon asked, still unable to forgive Klaus for killing Jenna and thereby hurting Elena. "You had a hand in it."

"I never meant for Jenna to get tangled up in that mess." Elijah said.

"You killed her?" Aiden asked. "Is that what Caroline was talking about earlier?"

"No." Elijah said solemnly. "My brother killed her, and I deeply regret the part I played in the entire affair."

"Sabrina's gone and they took Elena." Lucy announced frantically as she burst back into the room, interrupting the slightly morbid conversation.

Everyone was on their feet in seconds demanding an explanation.

"Sabrina went outside, but when we got there she was gone." Lucy said, clearly terrified that something terrible had happened. "Then a vervain dart came out of nowhere and someone took Elena. I didn't see who it was."

"Let's hope it was only vervain." Elijah said. "Klaus is still locked in that attic."

Lucy, not knowing what to do, practically fell into Damon's arms when he came toward her. He wrapped his arms around her as he would have done with Elena, and stroked her hair. "It's okay. We've dealt with stuff like this before. We'll find them."

A plan was laid out quickly. Jeremy and Caroline stayed at the house to protect the other kids, Caroline called her mother to enlist her help, and everyone else spread split into two pairs to look for Elena and Sabrina. Stefan and Damon went one way looking for Elena, and Elijah and Lucy went the other way looking for Sabrina.

Lucy was beside herself with worry, but she managed to hold it together well enough to follow Elijah around the Salvatore property, calling for Sabrina. Finally, when they were deep in the woods, she collapsed on a fallen tree and began to cry, feeling hopeless.

Elijah crouched in front of her and offered a handkerchief. "Lucy, look at me."

She did.

"You've fallen into a group of the most determined people I've ever met." Elijah assured her. "Your children are as safe as possible back at the house with Jeremy and Caroline, and the rest of us will not stop looking until we've found Sabrina. I promise you we _will _find her."

"But who would take her?" Lucy asked.

"I suspect this may be the work of the new Council." Elijah said honestly, unwilling to lie to the woman. "They're very much afraid of vampires and any other supernatural creatures. They suspect all of us even though they have no actual proof, and I suspect that they took Sabrina as a way of drawing us out so that they can attempt to kill us.

"However, they don't know what they're up against." He continued, trying to assure her that everything would be fine without lying to her. "Not only are we all very determined and dangerous people, but we're all well trained and the only weapon that can kill me is safely in New Orleans. You've got an Original vampire on your side. No one is going to hurt Sabrina."

Lucy desperately wanted to believe him, and realized as she managed to control her tears, that she did believe him.

Elijah offered his hand and helped her up, but she pulled away once she was on her feet, remembering that he was an Original.

"Are you compelling me?" she demanded.

Elijah didn't look offended. "No. I am not compelling you. I understand what it's like to be a worried parent. I am simply telling you the truth. These people will risk everything to save one person if they love them."

"But they don't even hardly know us." Lucy said, confused and amazed. "Why should they care?"

"For one, you're a vampire living in a town that has a very healthy fear of vampires, and has for a long time." Elijah said. "But mostly they care because they are good people and you are family. You're Damon's daughter and that's all any of them need to know."

Once again she believed him. "What about you. You don't seem to fit in this group very well."

"We have a slightly tumultuous history, but we can work together when need be." He explained, smiling a little. "And I like you."

Lucy knew he and Damon were plotting a way to bring back their witches. She knew one of those witches was the closest thing to a daughter that Elijah had ever had, or ever would have. She was grateful for his help, and she believed what he said, but she wasn't completely convinced that he wasn't helping her to ensure that the others continued to help him. As a parent she understood that you did whatever you had to do to keep your child safe. Or in some cases, resurrect them.


	14. Chapter 14

When Elena came to she found herself bound in a chair in some dark room. Groaning quietly, she lifted her head weakly and looked around, surveying her prison. The room had no windows, which meant it was probably underground, and the walls were made of stone. It looked like the room Bill Forbes had held Caroline in while he tried to torture the vampirism out of her, but Elena didn't think it was the same room.

Her wrists and ankles were bound to the chair she was sitting in by heavy chains. Another chain was around her waist, further binding her to the chair. Her wrists and ankles were tied together with vervain soaked ropes, and when she struggled she found that the chains had sharp metal spikes on them that stabbed into her body if she moved. Glancing at her hand, she realized with a feeling of slight horror that her daylight ring was gone.

"She's waking up." A man's voice said from outside the heavy metal door with the little barred window.

"Where's Sabrina?" she demanded when the door opened. She wasn't surprised to see Christopher Sherman, the newest mayor of Mystic Falls, and his presence only confirmed that her capture was the work of the new council.

That gave her some bit of hope because the new group of vampire hating town officials and other citizens wasn't nearly as prepared as the last group had been. This Council had only been in existence for about a month and a half, and Liz had made sure to gather up all the old journals so that the new regime couldn't get their hands on them. All the Gilbert, Forbes, Lockwood, and Fell journals were locked safely away in a vault in the Salvatore cellar.

The new Council had approached both Liz and Meredith about joining, but both of them had refused, stating that they no longer wished to be wrapped up in the ridiculousness of it all. Unfortunately, their dissention had only added fuel to the fire and given the Council members reason to believe that Elena and her friends were all vampires. She wasn't entirely sure they didn't suspect Liz and Meredith as well.

"Elena." Mayor Sherman said, sounding as if he were only offering a friendly greeting.

"Where's Sabrina?" she demanded again.

"The girl's fine." Mayor Sherman replied. "She's safe now that she's away from all of you monsters."

"You're the monster."

"I don't kill innocent people."

Elena lifted her head to look at him, her gaze unwavering. "Neither do I."

Although she was unable to move unless she wanted to be in pain the mayor kept a safe distance from her. "Your parents would be ashamed of you. And Jeremy too."

Unable to resist the urge, she let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I know my parents were part of the anti-vampire movement. I know my dad was part of the Augustine Society. I know he tortured vampires. I also know that they both loved me and Jeremy, and I really don't care what they would think of my being a vampire anymore. You're not going to make me feel guilty about choosing to live. You should be the one feeling guilty about torturing us when we've done nothing but try to keep this town safe."

"This town will never be safe when we have vampires nesting nearby."

She snorted in slight amusement, suddenly feeling very much like Katherine. The situation seemed to warrant it, so she decided to go with the feeling and channel her inner doppelganger. "Nesting? Please. You really don't know anything about vampires, do you?"

"I know enough to know that vervain weakens you, and that pretty little ring of yours somehow allows you to walk in the sun." He said. "But why don't you enlighten me."

"First of all, we don't _nest_." She said. "We live quite comfortably actually. And secondly, you've made a huge mistake."

"We expected your friends to come after you." He informed her. "That was the plan actually. We only intended to take the girl to lure you all out, but you were a nice bonus. Tell me. Is the Hollingsworth woman one of you?"

"Does it matter?" Elena spat at him. "She's associated with us. That's enough for you, isn't it?"

The mayor didn't respond. Instead he simply walked around behind her and wrapped another vervain soaked rope tightly around her neck. She hissed, flashing her fangs at the terrified looking man outside the door, but didn't scream. It hurt, but not as much as it should because they had all started building their immunity back up. She only hoped that they didn't inject her with wolf venom.

"Nice try." Elena said dryly, scaring herself a little when she realized just how good she was at imitating Katherine.

_It's getting really easy being you._

Too bad Katherine wasn't around anymore. She'd probably come in handy right about now. Then again, she'd only be useful as long as it suited her and then she'd be back to her old ways.

"I don't recognize your friend." She said. "Is he new in town?"

"You should recognize him." Sherman said. "You go to school with him. Eric here was an Augustine intern."

That bit of information did alarm her. If this Eric guy, whom she had never seen before in her life, had been part of Augustine then that meant the new Council had access to whatever files and research Augustine had that they hadn't been able to destroy.

As soon as she and Damon had been cured, they had made sure to get rid of all of Wes' stuff, but none of them had been deluded into thinking that that was all there was. What if the Council did know about wolf venom? What if this was some new Augustine facility and she was miles and miles away from Mystic Falls? What if they intended to start doing experiments again?

Eric was staring at her and she refused to let her fear show. Reminding herself that she had gotten out of predicaments far worse than this, she continued to pretend to be Katherine simply because it seemed to be her only defense at the moment.

She flashed a very Katherine like smirk at the boy, who was probably only a year or so older than she was. "You look awfully scared of me for someone that worked with vampires."

"I never had contact with any of the subjects." He said. "I worked in the office mostly."

"Well, either way I have a couple of friends that would _love_ to meet you." Elena said, deciding that scaring this already terrified young man might possibly work to her advantage. If he was too scared to move she only had to worry about the mayor. She'd kill both of them if she had too.

_Better you die than I._ Maybe Katherine had been right after all.

A crash sounded from somewhere above and Elena hoped it was her cavalry.

"Eric, watch her." Mayor Sherman commanded as he rushed out of the room to investigate, leaving the door wide open.

"You don't have to close the door." She said as Eric moved to do just that. "Look at me. I'm bound by chains and vervain. I can't get free." She pulled against the chains to demonstrate trying her best to ignore the sharp pain inflicted by the spikes. "You've stolen my ring, so if it's daylight out I can't go anywhere even if I do get loose. Of course, I would be perfectly capable of killing you. How long have you been holding me here?"

"They brought you in two nights ago." Eric said, his voice shaking.

"Wow." Elena said, truly impressed. "That must be some vervain you guys have. Let me guess. You injected me regularly to keep me unconscious."

Now she sounded like Damon.

Eric didn't have a chance to respond because someone grabbed him from behind. He tried to yell for help, but his captor had a firm grip around his neck.

"Elena!" a familiar voice called. "Are you alright?"

"Tyler?" she asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"They got everyone else." He informed her.

"Everyone?" she asked.

"Sheriff Forbes, Matt, and Dr. Fell are in hiding with Lucy's kids." Tyler said, assuring her that the humans they cared about were still safe. "They have Caroline, Damon, Stefan, Elijah, Jeremy, and Lucy."

Elena reminded herself not to panic. "Are you alone? What about Ric and Enzo?"

"Of course he's not alone." A second familiar voice said. "He's not that stupid."

"Klaus?" Now Elena was amazed as Klaus entered the room and proceeded to free her from the chair, pulling the chains and ropes away with no problem. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving you." He said casually. "I thought it would be a little more obvious than that. Alaric and Enzo are working on locating the others right now. Apparently this new Council ha several remote hiding places."

Suddenly the mayor appeared behind Tyler and Elena yelled for him to look out. But it wasn't Tyler the mayor was after. He raised a dart gun and pulled the trigger, hitting his mark. The dart sank into Elena's stomach and she knew instantly that it had been full of an almost lethal concoction of vervain and wolf venom. She jumped up and immediately fell to the floor, drifting into the darkness as she lost consciousness once more.

"Elena!" Tyler yelled as Klaus pounced on the mayor, easily snapping his neck.

Tyler shoved his trembling hostage aside and rushed to help Elena. As he gathered her into his arms and turned to follow Klaus out of the building he saw that he had pushed Eric too hard. His eyes widened as he realized he had killed him and triggered his werewolf curse once more.

"Damn it." he cursed under his breath, but didn't stop to think about it. The mayor wasn't the only one here and they had to get out.

"Would you like me to turn you back into a hybrid?" Klaus asked humorously as they made their way up the narrow stairway.

Tyler was careful not to hit Elena's head against the hard stone wall. "Right now I just want to get Elena out of here. How much vervain did they have in that dart?"

"Enough to knock her out apparently." Klaus said obviously.

"This is more than knocked out, Klaus." Tyler said, hating that he had to work with someone he despised so much. Luckily he was more concerned about Elena right now.

Klaus stopped when they were halfway up the stairs. "Wait. Listen."

Tyler listened, but he didn't hear anything. "I don't have vampire ears anymore. What is it?"

Klaus shushed him, listening as closely as he could to pick up the faint sound. It was a cry for help. "Caroline."

Tyler didn't have to be told to turn around, but he couldn't be of much help with his arms full of Elena and he didn't want to leave her alone. Despite his feelings he knew the best option would be to guard Elena and let Klaus rescue Caroline. He moved back to the foot of the steps and laid Elena down gently, crouching over her and shaking her carefully but firmly.

"Elena." He called. "Elena, wake up. We've got to get out of here."

Something was very, very wrong. She wasn't simply unconscious from vervain. She was practically dead. He lifted her bloody shirt to inspect the place where the dart had stuck her, and found a nasty wound quickly spreading. "Klaus!" he called loudly. "They're using wolf venom! A lot of it!"

Hearing Tyler's warning Klaus rushed to find Caroline. If they had injected Elena with a high concentration of wolf venom as Tyler seemed to think then she needed his blood right now. But he couldn't abandon Caroline. Whoever was guarding her had probably heard the ruckus they had caused and had likely injected her as well.

Finally he came to another room with two armed guards. He easily killed both of them and broke through the door to find Caroline unconscious, bound to a chair as Elena had been. He freed her and gently lifted her into his arms, hurrying back to Tyler.

"We've got to get them out of here _right now_!" he said. "Grab Elena and get a move on!"

Tyler did as he was told. "Is Caroline okay?"

"They've injected her as well, but I can't give them my blood to heal them if they are unable to swallow it."

Tyler was beyond worried about the fate that had been forced on Caroline and Elena, and was fearful that the same fate might befall the rest of his friends if they didn't hurry. For all he knew the others had already been injected with a dart full of vervain and venom and were rapidly approaching death.


	15. Chapter 15

The above ground levels of the secluded house were almost completely made up of huge picture windows with only light, flimsy curtains to keep out the sun. There was no doubt that that had been done purposefully in case one of their prisoners escaped. Luckily it was dark out now, but the sun would soon rise.

Tyler set Elena on one of the couches and began digging through boxes and baskets, anything you might be able to hide a couple of rings in.

"What are you doing?" Klaus demanded.

"The sun will be up soon." Tyler said. "I'm looking for their rings."

"We don't have _time_ for that!" Klaus yelled. "We have to get them out of here _now_! I have a witch in New Orleans that will happily make everyone new daylight rings."

Tyler pointed to Elena's near lifeless body. "Elena's wound is already spreading to her arm. We're not going to be able to get them to safety fast enough!"

Klaus realized that Tyler was right and gently set Caroline on the other couch, far from discouraged, but not certain what to do. Neither girl was capable of swallowing his blood at the moment, and simply letting it trickle down their throats wasn't going to work fast enough. He thought for a moment and suddenly an idea formed in his mind.

"They must have syringes here." He said. "We can inject them with my blood."

They both began going through each room, carefully digging through cabinets, chests, closets, and finally found a set of syringes and a terrified twelve year old girl.

"Are they okay?" Sabrina asked, practically clinging to Tyler, whom she recognized as a friend.

"No." Klaus replied. "They're dying."

Sabrina let out a squeak and looked up at Tyler. Tyler took one of the syringes and headed toward the kitchen, where he washed it out to make sure there was nothing in it that would negate the effects of Klaus' blood.

"Don't worry." He assured the girl. "They'll be okay soon."

Klaus found a knife in one of the draws and sliced his wrist open, regretting making the girl cringe, but desperate to save Caroline and Elena. He filled a glass and let Tyler fill the syringe. As the cut healed itself, Klaus led the girl to a chair and crouched down in front of her, offering her a smile.

"Tyler's right. They'll be fine in a little while. My blood will heal them."

Sabrina watched as Tyler injected Elena, refilled the syringe, and injected Caroline.

Once she had seen that they had received what would heal them, Klaus drew her attention back to him. "My name is Klaus. I'm Elijah's brother."

"They have him too." Sabrina informed him. "I heard them talking. They have all of them."

"We'll find them." Klaus promised. "Do you have any idea what they did with Caroline and Elena's daylight rings?"

Sabrina nodded. "They destroyed them."

Caroline roused first, groaning and trying to sit up. Tyler rushed to her to support her.

"Easy, Care." He said. "You're still weak."

"Tyler?"

Klaus lead Sabrina over to Caroline and gently urged her to drink. Sabrina made no objection, but Tyler and Caroline looked outraged.

"I'm not drinking from her." Caroline said weakly, but firmly. "She's only twelve."

"And she's human, Caroline." Klaus said. "Her blood will help you get stronger. They injected you with wolf venom!"

"I don't mind." Sabrina said. "I want to help. I trust you, Caroline."

Caroline smiled at the girl. "I know. But I don't trust myself right now."

She looked up at Klaus as Elena began to come to. "Give me more of your blood. That will help too."

"Alright." Klaus agreed. "Let me take care of Elena first. She's worse off."

Caroline nodded and fell back against the cushions.

"Elena." Klaus said gently, offering his wrist. "Here, love. Drink."

Elena looked at him for a moment, trying to remember what happened. "Wh-"

"Shh." Klaus said. "Drink. You're going to be fine. We've found Sabrina and Caroline. They're fine. Drink."

Elena looked around, confirming for herself that Caroline and Sabrina were there and safe, and grabbed hold of Klaus' arm. She sank her fangs into his flesh and sucked greedily, feeling his blood fight off the effects of the toxins in her system. When she let go she was still very weak, but she felt much better.

Klaus moved to give Caroline more blood and Sabrina came over to Elena, holding out her own arm. "Would some of my blood help? You still look pretty weak."

Elena smiled at her. "Thank you, but I can't feed off you."

"That's what Caroline said." Sabrina said, looking worried. "But it would make me feel better if you took just a little at least. Please? I know you won't hurt me, Elena."

Elena looked at her friends. Caroline was wiping Klaus' blood from her face and Tyler and Klaus both silently urged her to drink from Sabrina. She hated the thought of drinking from a child, but they were all right. Sabrina's blood, even just a little, would help her get her strength back.

Sabrina came closer and Elena took her arm, carefully piercing her skin and taking a few sips. Sabrina winced, but didn't complain. It was the first time anyone had ever fed from her. It was weird, but she liked that she was helping. She let Caroline have a few sips as well, Klaus practically having to force her to take it, and then the five of them hurried out of the house in order to get away. They had no way of knowing if anyone else would show up, or how many there would be.

"We have to find somewhere to hide." Tyler said. "The sun's starting to rise."

"They took our rings." Caroline said.

"They destroyed your rings." Klaus corrected her.

They managed to find a heavily wooded area near a lake and Sabrina was left in the shade with Caroline and Elena while Tyler and Klaus spit up in search of a house or a cave they could take shelter in. Klaus found a cave and the girls were quickly transported to where they would be safe from the sun's deadly rays.

Elena vividly remembered Isobel letting herself burn in the sun, and had no intentions of letting that happen to herself.

"Tomorrow is a full moon." Klaus said casually as he watched the sunrise and Elena and Caroline huddled near the back of the cave where the light couldn't reach them. "Do you really want to turn again, Tyler? I'm willing to make you into a hybrid. We've got access to an entire doppelganger full of blood to keep you from dying like so many others did."

Tyler glanced at Elena as if considering the option, but his mind was already made up. "I refuse to be sired to you or anyone else. I'd rather turn once a month instead of going through the pain of turning a hundred times in a row to break the bond."

"Fine." Klaus said, not mentioning the fact that they had discovered a way to make moonlight rings. Mostly because Marcel, Davina, Josh, and the Crescents hadn't yet managed to get the rings away from the Guerrera wolves, but also because he didn't like Tyler, and even though they seemed to work well together when forced, the thought of the young wolf being in pain still pleased him somewhat.

Stepping outside he pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Hayley.

"Klaus." She said when she answered. "We've found one of the safe houses, but we haven't been able to get in. We're not sure who they have inside. Or if they have anyone inside."

"You might want to hurry." Klaus told her. "We've got Caroline, Elena, and Sabrina, but this Council knows that wolf venom kills vampires. We nearly lost Caroline and Elena."

"Great." Hayley groaned. "Thanks."

She hung up and slipped her phone back in her pocket, looking at the woman crouching in the bushes beside her. "They've got wolf venom."

Tessa, who had been dragged back into this mess when Matt and Tyler had showed up on her doorstep two nights ago, demanding she help bring back Bonnie and Siobhan, rolled her eyes. "Of course they do. Has anyone been rescued yet?"

"Caroline, Elena, and Sabrina." Hayley replied as a text came in. It was Klaus telling her that the Council members had destroyed everyone's daylight rings. "Great. Wolf venom and they destroyed their rings."

Tessa glanced up at the sun. "If we can get in there we can kill everyone and hole up until the sun goes down."

"But how do we get in?" Hayley asked. "They have guards around the house, and I don't think I can kill all of them myself without someone noticing."

"You know that little aneurysm trick Bonnie's so fond of?" Tessa asked. "I may be a Traveler, but I'm still a witch. And these _human_ guards won't be able to survive that."

"What are you waiting for?" Hayley demanded.

"I have to get close, but I can do it." Tessa said. "You go around back, and I'll start out here."

With a loose plan in place the two women moved out from behind the bushes. Hayley managed to sneak around back and started snapping necks like her life depended on it while Tessa sweet talked the guards out front into getting close enough for her to cast her spell. Tessa's work went slower and Hayley had worked her way around to the front by the time Tessa had killed one guard, which tipped off the others. They were calling for help as Hayley swiftly snapped their necks.

"Get in there!" Hayley yelled. "I've got this!"

As two more people came running out of the house Tessa ran in. One of the men shot Hayley with a vervain dart, but it didn't have any effect on her.

"I'm not a vampire." She said as she squared off against the two men. "I'm a hybrid, and you're in trouble if vervain darts are all you have."

They drew knives and lunged at her, but they weren't fast enough. She plunged her hands into their chests and ripped out their hearts, dropping them on the ground, and wiping her bloody hands on her jeans as she stepped inside, prepared to repeat the procedure if necessary.


	16. Chapter 16

**This is now a three-way crossover. TVD, The Originals, and my very favorite show M*A*S*H. Vampires in an Army hospital. Interesting, no? There probably won't be too many flashbacks involving the gang at the 4077****th****, but I couldn't resist. If you like this one let me know and I might come up with some others. Maybe even an entire story all its own. And the actual surgery may not be quite right, but I'm only working from memory not research.**

**South Korea, 1952**

"Major Houlihan?" Lucy called across the noisy O.R. as the scent of the young man's blood filled her nose. She fought valiantly against her natural urges, but was afraid she was going to loose the battle this time.

"Yes?" Margaret asked walking over briskly.

"Could you take over for me?" Lucy asked. "I'm feeling a little faint."

Margaret didn't reprimand this young nurse as she had so many other new ones when they ran out of the operating room. Unlike the others, that simply disappeared, Lucy had alerted her to her condition and hadn't left Colonel Potter high a dry.

Lucy dashed out of the room as soon as the major had taken over, careful not to use her vampire speed and give herself away though she desperately wanted to. Why in the world had she decided to become a nurse? Because she wanted to help people, or because working in a hospital would provide easy access to blood? As she sat down on a bench in Pre-Op she decided both reasons were true.

"You okay, Lieutenant?" Corporal Klinger asked as he and another man carried another bleeding patient into the room.

Without answering she got up and ran outside where the compound was littered with still more wounded and bleeding men. Becoming a nurse was one thing, but joining the Army and requesting to be sent to a M*A*S*H unit had simply been downright stupid. There was blood everywhere, oozing out of patients and sitting in cold storage waiting to be transfused into those patients.

Unfortunately she couldn't have any of it.

She had just gotten her blood lust under control when Klinger stuck his head out the door. "Paging Lieutenant Salvatore! Lieutenant Salvatore, please report to O.R. On the double!"

Lucy took a few breaths, reminded herself that she could handle this, and went back into the operating room.

"I could use a little help from those lovely fingers of yours, Lieutenant." Hawkeye said in a somewhat sing-songish voice as she was provided with a fresh pair of gloves.

She ignored the overwhelming scent of blood and quickly made her way over to his table where a boy that couldn't have been more than eighteen was waiting with a chest wound.

"A big hunk of this kid's aorta is missing." Hawkeye announced to no on in particular. "I'm gonna have to do an arterial transplant. Kelleye, see if we have a segment big enough."

"Yes doctor." Nurse Kelleye said and hurried off to find an artery.

Lucy wanted desperately to announce that she was a vampire and could save every single one of these soldiers simply by giving them her blood, but she knew she couldn't do that. If she did it would only end badly for her, so she kept her mouth shut and waited for Captain Pierce to ask for an instrument.

"You're doing pretty good for your first day." He said conversationally with his hands inside the boy's chest. "What do you say I buy you a drink at the officer's club later, and we'll see how you do your first night?"

"Pierce!" Major Houlihan reprimanded him. "_Must_ you hit on my nurses while operating?"

"Well I am an operator." He said, taking on a slightly mocking tone. "What better time to attempt to charm young, fair maiden than when I'm elbow deep in this freckle faced boy's chest cavity?"

Margaret rolled her eyes in annoyance as Kelleye came back with the tray of arterial grafts, and Lucy smile behind her mask, amazed at the way he was able to joke at a time like this.

After selecting a graft Hawkeye glanced up at Lucy while they were preparing to perform the transplant. "Well? What do you say Lieutenant? Drinks and dancing after work? Or if you're too tired we can just fall into bed. Mine or yours. Either one suits me just fine. Everything's olive drab around here, so you can't really tell whose bed you're in until they kick you out."

Lucy smiled again, giggling this time. "I get the feeling you won't take no for an answer, Doctor."

"Oh, he'll take it." Captain Hunnicutt said from the next table. "He just won't pay any attention to it."

"What can I say?" Hawkeye asked. "3-0 silk."

Lucy repeated the request, handing him the suture silk so he could sew the pieces of artery together and make a brand new one.

"I thrive on rejection." He continued as he began to sew.

Lucy smiled. "In that case I suppose I should just say yes and avoid the hassle."

She couldn't see his smile, but she could tell by the way his eyes lit up that it was there. "Lieutenant Salvatore, I like the way you think. Suture scissors."

"Suture scissors." She repeated, wondering how long it was going to take her to get used to going by her father's last name.

She wasn't exactly sure why she had decided to become Lucy Salvatore, or even if Damon Salvatore was actually her father, but if she were being honest hearing Salvatore stung less than Hollingsworth, the name of the mother that had abandoned her, or McIntyre, the name of the husband that had abandoned her. True, her father had never been a part of her life, but from what she had learned over the years he had been deprived of the opportunity.

%%%

**Kentucky, 2011**

The vervain had worn off and Lucy finally managed to lift her head to find that she was in some kind of cell or dungeon. She was tied to a chair and when she moved several sharp spikes jammed into her body. Where was she? How long had she been here? Most importantly, were her children safe?

The heavy metal door opened and a woman in a white coat, so similar to the ones the doctors had worn in Korea, came in.

"Please." Lucy begged weakly. "Let me go."

"I can't do that." The woman said. "I'd prefer to simply shove you outside and let you burn in the sun, but we need to move you to one of our research facilities so we can properly perform our experiments and learn whatever we can from you. Unfortunately, we basically have to start over from scratch seeing as a large portion of our files were destroyed recently."

Lucy didn't have time to ask questions, or even think them because the woman plunged a needle into her neck and injected her with another dose of vervain. Lucy felt herself growing weak again and eventually passed out once more.


	17. Chapter 17

**New York, 1882**

Lucy sat beside the fire, knitting a blanket for the new baby, and watching her other three children play in the floor. She caught herself quietly humming an old Irish song called "Peg in a Low Back'd Car", a song her husband liked to sing when he was drunk, and promptly stopped. She did not want to be reminded of Henry McIntyre right now. The fact that she was pregnant with his fourth child was enough.

A knock sounded at the front door. She was the type of woman that could answer a door for herself, but seeing as she was eight months pregnant and quiet comfortable in her rocking chair, she called for the maid. "Cicely! Be a dear and get the door for me, please!"

Cicely was only eighteen, just a few years younger than Lucy, and had escaped the South with her mother, Virginia, during the war with the help of a woman they called Moses. Lucy knew the woman's true name was Harriett Tubman, because she had met her. Before she had married Henry the orphanage she had lived at had been a safe house on the route. Many times she had been wakened in the middle of the night to help tend to a new group of escaped slaves.

Cicely and her mother, who worked in the McIntyre house as a cook, were not slaves. They were employees. Henry hadn't wanted them, but Lucy had insisted. She had also insisted that he pay them the same he would any white servant. Now that Henry was gone, having left everything behind, it was up to her to pay the staff that had become more like family to her.

"It's Mr. Henry, ma'am." Cicely announced from the door. "Would you like me to show him in?"

"I most certainly would not." Lucy said firmly, tossing her knitting aside and struggling to get out of the chair. The fact that it wasn't stationary made it difficult, but she managed.

"Papa?" four-year-old Nathaniel asked, scrambling to his feet.

"Cicely, please take the children upstairs." Lucy asked coldly as she approached her husband.

"May I come in?" he asked, slurring.

"You're drunk, and I won't have you in my house around my children." Lucy told him as Cicely ushered the children upstairs. "Please leave."

Henry forced his way through the door as she tried to shut it in his face, quickly growing angry and knocking her back roughly. She stumbled over her skirts and fell back against the wall.

"Damn it, woman!" he bellowed. "This is my house and my children! I'll come in if I like!"

"You abandoned this house and these children when you ran off with that trashy barmaid!" she yelled back. "I said _leave_!"

Before she had a chance to dodge Henry's hand flew out, slapping her hard in the face. She cried out as he advanced on her, wrapping one hand around her throat and balling the other into a fist.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A calm and yet menacing voice with an English accent said from the porch.

Henry paused and turned to see who was speaking, keeping his hand tight around Lucy's throat. "And who the hell are you? Showing up at my house in the dead of the night. Have you taken up with someone, Lucy? You're nothing but a little slut. That whelp inside you probably isn't even mine, is it?"

Without notice Henry rammed his fist into her belly with all his strength and threw her to the floor, causing her to land forcefully on her stomach. She cried out in pain and fear, and the man on the porch was suddenly in the house.

"Didn't I just warn you not to do that?" Enzo asked as he grabbed Henry and prepared to rip his throat out.

"No!" Lucy cried out. "Lorenzo, don't hurt him! Please. Just get him out of here."

"If I send him on his way he'll only come back." Enzo replied. "He's hurt you enough already and I refuse to give him another chance."

Enzo whisked Henry outside so Lucy wouldn't have to bear witness to the completely justified murder of the man that had caused her so much pain and misery. She knew there was no stopping him, so she didn't bother to try as Virginia rushed out of the kitchen.

"You're bleeding!" Virginia exclaimed.

Lucy was suddenly seized by an unbearable pain in her abdomen as she looked down as saw that she was indeed sitting in a small pool of blood.

"Dear God!" she whispered as everything began to fade. "He's killed the baby."

%%%

**Kentucky, 2011**

"Lucy."

"Lorenzo?" she mumbled as she drifted back to consciousness. Suddenly she was completely alert. "The baby! He killed my baby!"

Jeremy grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her gently. "Lucy! It's okay! It's Jeremy!"

She stared at him for a moment, seeing her husband's face. When she finally blinked Henry was gone and Jeremy was in his place. "Jeremy." She went limp and fell forward into his arms, the sudden burst of energy and strength quickly flying away from her. She wanted to cry, but she was too weak from the vervain to even do that much.

"We're safe now." Jeremy said, pressing his wrist to her lips. "Here. Drink."

"No." she whispered. "I can't control it."

Understanding what she meant he picked her up and carried her out into the dark hallway, where the bodies of the three guards Hayley had killed lay sprawled on the cold stone floor. He set her down next to the closest one. "He's already dead."

Lucy turned her head and managed to take hold of the lifeless arm Jeremy offered her. She pierced the still warm flesh with her fangs and drank greedily, her mind flashing back to the sniper in Korea. Once again she was feeding from a dead man, draining every last drop from his body.

When she was finished she wiped her mouth and sat up, feeling much better but still a little weak. She spotted the other two guards lying on the floor and started to crawl toward the next one.

"Leave one for Elijah." Jeremy cautioned.

Lucy nodded and decided to leave both men. She was alright for now. She leaned back against the wall wanting to ask if her kids were safe, but just as she was about to speak the words Hayley let out an alarmed yelp from down the hall.

"Elijah!" she screamed as his body began to thrash and contort. She rushed to him, uncertain of what to do. Was this a normal reaction to being undaggered?

Jeremy ran in and immediately realized what was going on. "He wasn't invited in!" he explained as he picked up the dagger Hayley had dropped on the floor and plunged it back into Elijah's chest.

Elijah stilled instantly and Hayley knelt in the floor in front of him clinging to his cold, lifeless hand with tears in her eyes. She looked up at Jeremy. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine." Jeremy said. "He was daggered when they brought him in. We'll have to leave him that way until the sun goes down. Upstairs is all windows."

Hayley nodded. She hated seeing him like this, his skin all gray and ridged in desiccation. "Is Lucy alright?"

"She's still a little weak, but she's fine."

"What's going on?" Lucy asked as she came in and sank down on the floor.

Jeremy sat down beside her. "Elijah had a bad reaction to being undaggered in a house he hadn't been invited in to."

"Is he okay?" Lucy asked, looking at the slumped, desiccated body in the chair that looked identical to the one she had been trapped in.

Jeremy nodded. "It's not the first time it's happened."

Hayley reluctantly let go of Elijah and left Jeremy and Lucy in the room. She went upstairs where Tessa had their prisoners under a spell that had them in a coma-like state. She called Klaus to let him know they had the second house secured, and was informed that Enzo and Alaric had found the third house and had successfully freed Damon and Stefan who had luckily not been injected with wolf venom. Unfortunately, they were all trapped where they were, scattered around the South, until the sun went down and they could begin to make their way back to Mystic Falls.

The plan was to collect the humans and take everyone back to New Orleans where they would be safer until they found a way to put an end to this new council that seemed to have teamed up with several other groups around the country along with the remains of the Augustine Society.


	18. Chapter 18

**Charleston, 2011**

"What time is it?" Enzo demanded impatiently. "I want to get out of this bloody hell hole."

"It's not _that_ bad." Damon said as Alaric rolled his eyes as Enzo's complaints. "_You _can go outside."

Stefan sat across the hall his wrists resting on his knees, his hands hanging limp, and his head back against the wall with his eyes shut. "Enzo, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but could you please _shut up_?" He opened his eyes on the last two words and shot Enzo a pointed, annoyed look.

Damon and Alaric both let out similar sounds that could be described as half snort, half chuckle.

Enzo swept his gaze over all three of them. "I'm starting to wish I had left town as soon as I got back from the Other Side. I could be lying on a beach right now, drinking a hurricane, and flirting with pretty girls wearing practically nothing. Instead I'm stuck in a stone cellar with you three."

"Why did you stay?" Alaric asked. "You had your humanity off. You didn't care whether or not Bonnie and Damon made it back. And none of us wanted you around."

Enzo looked directly at Stefan, knowing what he was about to say would probably ruffle his unflappable feathers. "My only reason for staying was Caroline."

Stefan ignored him although he did feel a slight surge of jealousy. He knew Caroline felt some sort of attraction toward Enzo. She had admitted it wanting to be completely honest with him. He also knew it was different than what she had felt, and possibly still felt toward Klaus. He also knew he had nothing to worry about. It had only been a short time, but what he felt for Caroline was different than what he had felt for Elena. Yes, he had loved Elena, but this was more. He was sure it was the same way Elena felt when comparing their relationship to the one she had with Damon. Both were real love, but one simply felt more right than the other. Not meant to be. He and Elena had been meant to be because of the doppelganger stuff. It had felt right, but Caroline felt more so. And he knew she felt it too because they had talked about it. Enzo was not a threat. Simply an annoyance. Like a gnat on a hot summer day.

Enzo was bored and when he failed to get a rise out of Stefan he tried to get one out of Damon. "You know what I'm most looking forward to when we get back to New Orleans?"

"Funeral parades?" Damon suggested.

"Reunions." Enzo corrected, flashing that sly smile of his.

Damon picked up on what Enzo was hinting at and shot back a sly smile of his own. "Lucy may be my daughter, but I don't think I've known her long enough yet to earn the right to defend her honor. Just her life."

"You wouldn't defend her honor?" Alaric asked curiously.

"Of course I would." Damon replied, his tone indicating that he thought it was obvious. "I'm not the bad guy anymore, Ric. If someone tries to hurt anyone I care about I'm gonna rip their throat out."

"You're _such_ a nice guy!" Alaric teased.

"I said I wasn't the bad guy anymore." Damon said. "That implies good, not nice."

Enzo shifted to a more comfortable position. "Defend away, Damon, but I can assure you Lucinda McIntyre does not need it. I saved her life and she thanked me by condemning me for it."

Alaric looked over at Damon. "Sounds like your daughter alright."

"Actually, it sounds more like Elena." Stefan said. "Save her life and she still finds a reason to yell at you."

Alaric and Damon both grunted in agreement.

"What did you do to incur her wrath?" Damon asked, directing the question to Enzo.

"I killed her husband." Enzo said blandly, drawing stares from his three companions. "Don't give me that look. I only killed him because he tried to kill her. He almost succeeded, and he _did_ kill the baby."

"What baby?" Damon asked.

"When I met Lucy she had a pair of four year old twins, Nathaniel and Kathleen, and a two year old, Charlotte." Enzo said. "Henry had just run off with his tavern girl and left her to tend to the children and the house all by herself. Luckily she had two servants to help, but she was pregnant with a fourth child. Only a month left to go when he killed it."

He recounted how he had come over at Lucy's invitation and found Henry ready to beat the living daylights out of her.

"I gave him fair warning, but I didn't act quickly enough and he punched her in the stomach and then threw her in the floor." Enzo continued. "She landed on the baby. She actually begged me not tot hurt him, to just get him out of the house. I wasn't about to give him the opportunity to come back and knock her around some more so I hauled him off to the back yard and ripped his throat out.

"I left him to bleed out because I felt he didn't deserve to die quickly, and when I came back in she was almost dead herself."

Damon's heart broke in two as he listened to the story.

Enzo continued. "She was bleeding out and in labor, and there was no time to call a doctor, so I simply pulled the dead baby out and gave her some of my blood to heal her." he chuckled slightly now. "Virginia and Cicely had no idea I was a vampire and they were utterly terrified. I do feel a little bad because they both left after that, but I stuck around to make sure she was okay and to help with the kids."

"How chivalrous of you." Damon said dryly. "When did you turn her?"

"A few nights later." Enzo replied. "She asked me to. After what happened she wasn't about to let something happen to her and make her kids into orphans. At least that's what she said. She'd already found out about you, Damon, and I honestly think she wanted me to turn her so she could track you down."

"And it only took a hundred some odd years." Damon said. "Yep. She's definitely my daughter."

"Where are we?" Stefan asked randomly when the conversation fizzled out.

"Charleston." Alaric answered. "Some old house that's been here since the Civil War."

Damon suddenly perked up again. "What's the address?"

Alaric rattled it off. "Why?"

"We are currently sitting in the cellar of the very house where Lucy was conceived." Damon explained. "How the _hell_ did the Augustine's get a hold of the Hollingsworth house?"

Alaric and Enzo exchanged a look, silently trying to pass the task of breaking the news to him off on each other. In the end, Alaric was the one who explained that both the house they were currently in and a farm outside the city that had once been a sugarcane plantation still belonged to the Hollingsworth family.

"How ironic." Damon said in response. "I guess dear Charles did make it home after all."


	19. Chapter 19

**So…I made a little mistake when I posted the original Chapter 19. I got my timeline mixed up and didn't realize my mistake until after I posted the chapter. If you already read the original version here's what should have happened.**

"So that's what a daggered Original looks like." Tessa said as Hayley and Jeremy carried Elijah's body up from the basement. "Where's the pseudo-Salvatore?"

"There's nothing pseudo about me." Lucy said as she stepped into the room and found three people bound to chairs and gagged. One of them was the doctor she had seen earlier. "Damon _is_ my father, which makes me, by blood, a full-fledged Salvatore."

Tessa rolled her eyes and sat down as Elijah was hauled outside. "Whatever. You know, from what I've seen it's nothing to be all that proud of."

"Ignore her." Jeremy said, leaving the front door open and pulling the dagger out of Elijah once more. He stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed over his chest. "I can't say I'm all that fond of Damon, but you have every right to be proud to be a Salvatore. Even if I don't like him I would trust Damon with my life. And Stefan."

"Didn't Damon kill you?" Tessa asked. "Without knowing you had your little Gilbert ring on, because Katherine broke his heart and then Elena turned him down?"

Lucy's eyes widened in slight shock. "He did _what_?"

"Lucy, your father has killed a lot of people." Jeremy said. "Some for good reason, some for no reason. He killed me because he was hurt and angry and I came in at the wrong time. Lucky for him I did have my ring or things would be a hell of a lot different right now.

"My point is that even though Damon is basically a serial killer with a checkered past it's only because he's a vampire that's been through some pretty rough shit." Jeremy paused, glancing over his shoulder as Elijah began to wake up. "I'm sure you understand that."

Lucy nodded. She understood perfectly. As a human she had gone through some pretty rough shit as well.

Elijah sat up with Hayley's help and looked around, trying to figure out where he was.

"We'll explain everything in a little while." She assured him. "Are you okay?"

"What did I do to piss my brother off this time?" Elijah asked, only halfway joking.

Hayley smiled. "It wasn't Klaus." She pointed to the doctor Tessa had freed from her spellbound coma. "It was that bitch over there."

Tessa removed the gag from the doctor's mouth and leaned down so that she was at eye level with the woman. "Have a nice nap?"

"What the hell did you people do to me?" the doctor demanded.

Tessa straightened up. "My hybrid friend and I killed all your guards and freed our other friends. I put you in a magical coma, and now you're going to be a good little prisoner and invite the nice man outside to come in."

The doctor looked at Elijah standing just outside the door. "You let him loose? But he's a vampire. An _Original_ vampire. Are you crazy?"

"No." Tessa said. "I'm not crazy. I'm annoyed. I'm also a two thousand year old resurrected witch with a trained vampire hunter, a one hundred and fifty year old vampire, _and _a fairly new but equally deadly hybrid as backup. I suggest you cooperate and invite him in. You really don't want to know what's going to happen if you don't."

"I can't invite him in." the doctor said. "I don't own the house."

Lucy flashed across the room, ready to carry out the threat Tessa had hinted at. "We'd be way more likely to believe you if I weren't already inside. If you don't own this place, then how did you get me in?"

"The owner was here when you arrived."

"Who's the owner?" Jeremy asked.

The doctor refused to say. Lucy leaned in close and flashed her fangs.

"We're perfectly okay with killing you if you don't help us, Doc." Tessa said.

"Who's the owner?" Jeremy repeated, sounding a little more demanding this time.

"A man named George Hollingsworth." The doctor finally admitted.

Lucy recoiled as if the woman had slapped her. "George Hollingsworth? That's impossible!"

"Why would I lie when you're threatening to kill me?" the doctor demanded.

"Lucy," Elijah called from the outside. "Do you know this man?"

"George Hollingsworth was my grandfather." Lucy replied. "He was trampled by a horse in 1865."

"This is one of his descendants, you idiot." The doctor said.

"Really?" Tessa asked. "You're really going to call a vampire an idiot right now? Under the circumstances I'd say that description better suites you."

"Where can we find him?" Hayley asked. "George Hollingsworth."

After a few more threats the doctor gave up an address and directions. Hayley and Jeremy went off to find George, leaving Lucy and Tessa to tend to the prisoners and explain the plan they had developed with the others to Elijah. Tessa put the gag back on the doctor and recast her mock coma spell, announcing that she was going to take a nap.

Lucy went outside and sat down beside Elijah.

"It's not necessary to go through all the trouble of getting me inside." He said.

"Yes it is." She replied. "They took our daylight rings. That's why we had to wait until dark to undagger you."

Elijah looked down at his hand and realized that his ring was indeed missing. Refusing to worry about it because there was no sense in worrying he leaned against the side of the house and looked at Lucy. "Well, what's this plan?"

"It looks like the Mystic Falls Council is only a small part of a larger network of anti-vampire groups." Lucy explained. "Including the Augustine Society, which I'm assuming is where they found her." she jerked her thumb toward the knocked out doctor inside. "We're somewhere in Kentucky right now, your brother and Sabrina are with Elena, Caroline, and Tyler somewhere in Georgia, and the others are in Charleston. These people know how to dagger an Original, they know about our daylight rings, and they know that wolf venom is lethal to vampires. Elena and Caroline almost died today because of it. Thank God Klaus and Tyler were the ones that found them."

"It wouldn't have been so bad if they had died." Elijah said.

Lucy stared at him.

"I don't want them to, but they would have gone to the temporary Other Side where Bonnie and Siobhan are." He explained. "That's where I was. We could have brought them back as soon as we found a way."

"We have found a way." Lucy said, smiling slightly. "Tessa had been working on it this entire time, but she wasn't going to tell anyone until she brought them back because she didn't want to get everyone's hopes up and have it fail."

Elijah looked hopeful as he asked. "Will it work?"

"She thinks so." Lucy confirmed. "The only problem is that they're in Mystic Falls and we won't be."

"What do you mean?"

"We're leaving for New Orleans tomorrow night."

"New Orleans isn't any safer than Mystic Falls."

Lucy shrugged. "Klaus seems to think it is. So that's where we're going. Liz, Meredith, Matt and the kids are already on their way down there. It'll take us a while longer because of the ring issue, but your witch Davina has agreed to make us all new ones once we get there."

So far most of this made sense. "Why is it a problem that Bonnie and Siobhan are in Mystic Falls?"

"Because the spell Tessa's cooked up requires them to be in the corresponding location on the Other Side." Lucy explained. "That's where you come in. We're going to dagger you again and you have to find them and fill them in on the plan. We'll leave you daggered until we're ready to do the spell to give you enough time to find them and get to New Orleans on the Other Side."

Elijah started to ask why he had been designated as the go between, but understanding hit him before he could form the words. They could kill any one of them and have them be the go between, but he was the only one that they could kill and definitely bring back.

They could also control the amount of time he was on the Other Side simply be removing the dagger. If they killed Matt he would only be able to remain on the Other Side long enough to make contact with his body. If he stayed too long he would be stuck forever, and they weren't one hundred percent certain Tessa's spell would work. It would be much better to let him be the one to go back and forth and only have two of their loved ones trapped on the Other Side if Tessa's plan backfired.

Although he wasn't fond of being daggered and stored in a coffin to be moved about by another's whim, he agreed to the plan. At least he would be able to see Siobhan once more.


	20. Chapter 20

The doctor had placed some kind of dental tool in her mouth, forcing her jaw open in an uncomfortably wide position. She tried with all her strength to clamp down and bust the instrument, but it wouldn't budge. She struggled against the incredibly strong restraints holding her to the operating table as the doctor reached into her mouth and used a scalpel to slice open her gums. She screamed and choked as her own blood trickled down her throat before the wounds healed.

"Well, that didn't work." The doctor, who was just a silhouette against a bright light, picked up another syringe. "Let's try this one."

Rebekah tried in vain to free herself as the needle was slipped under her skin. No need for Novocain. The more pain, the better. She had no idea what she'd just been injected with, but she was only given a few moments to prepare herself before the scalpel was lifted again. Once again her gums were sliced open and the doctor waited to see if they would heal, delighted when they didn't.

"Maybe there is a reason to spare a couple of werewolves." The doctor said as he removed the thing holding her mouth open.

As he set it aside Rebekah caught a glimpse of something that looked like a normal surgical clamp. But it worked backwards, holding things open instead of closed. She tried to sit up even a little, but the collar with the steel spikes on the inside was attached to the table and she could only raise herself up maybe two inches before the spikes penetrated her skin. She felt the blood running down her neck and was terrified when the wound didn't heal. If she wasn't careful she'd bleed out.

"You injected me with wolf venom?" she asked, a note of horror in her voice. Not only did she not know where her brother with the cure in his veins was, but she had absolutely no idea where _she_ was. Even if she could escape and find a way to contact Klaus, or anyone that could get in touch with him, she didn't know where to tell them to look for her. "Surely you want to torture me some more before you kill me."

As the words came out of her mouth she remembered that Elijah had gone through the traumatic ordeal that was a wolf bite. It had affected him, making him extremely ill for a few days, but he had not died from it. _Because he's an Original_. She felt some sense of relief knowing that she wouldn't die from this particular experiment.

"Don't worry." The doctor said. "I have the antidote. I do have more plans for you seeing as you're the only vampire I've been able to get my hands on for quite a while."

"What exactly did you just inject me with?" she demanded.

"A small amount of wolf venom, vervain, and your everyday, run of the mill blood thinners."

She was already beginning to feel the effects of the concoction when a crash sounded somewhere above. Rebekah wondered if it was foolish to hope it might be someone coming to her rescue and not simply some klutz knocking over a lamp. When her captor looked up curiously she decided there was at least a chance for the former.

More crashes and loud bangs came from overhead and finally drew the doctor away to investigate. Rebekah wasn't alone for long when what she could only assume was another vampire entered the lab and began pulling her restraints loose. She wondered if her brothers had somehow found out she was in danger and had tracked her down. Was this Klaus or Elijah? Or maybe even one of the Salvatores? Maybe someone in Mystic Falls had somehow found out her whereabouts and had come to her rescue. Elena maybe? No. The blur was too masculine to be sweet little Elena Gilbert.

Whoever it was didn't give her anytime to find out their identity as they scooped her up and whisked her out of the torture chamber that posed as a research lab. Once they were out she only had time to register that she was outside and it was night before the effects of the wolf venom, vervain, and blood thinners knocked her out.

%%%

"I assume you have a name." Lucy said as she sat comfortably on a sofa across from the doctor.

Tessa had gone up to one of the bedrooms to take a nap, but Lucy had made her bring the doctor out of the spell once more before she had left. Something about this woman was vaguely familiar, and not because she had injected her with more vervain every time she had opened her eyes.

"Dr. Young Hee Klinger."

Lucy was stunned and suddenly the resemblance was clear. This woman, who was so clearly part Asian also had some features Lucy recognized from a certain Lebanese company clerk she had known decades ago. One she had grown quite fond of and had cultivated a wonderful friendship with despite its rocky start.

Trying her best to remain calm while wondering how in the world this woman, whom she assumed to be Max Klinger's daughter, had ended up working at a vampire torture center in the middle of nowhere Kentucky. Instead of letting her shock register on her face, she simply flashed a smile she had come to learn was purely her father. "Clearly you didn't get the Klinger nose."

Dr. Young Hee narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What do you know about my family?"

"As a matter of fact I knew both of your parents quite well." Lucy said as Elijah watched the exchange from the open front door. "I'm assuming you're Max and Soon-Lee's daughter, correct?"

"How do you know my parents?" Young Hee demanded. "My parents never associated with monsters. They're good people."

"Have they ever told you how they met?" Lucy asked. "How Soon-Lee was arrested for shooting an American soldier and sent to the 4077, where Klinger was in charge of incarcerating her?"

Young Hee glared at the woman that had only a few hours ago been her prisoner. "My mother was innocent! If you know them so well, you should know that."

"Of course I know that. Soon-Lee wouldn't hurt a fly."

"How do you know my parents?" Young Hee demanded once more.

"I was a nurse at M*A*S*H." Lucy explained. "Your father was a good friend of mine, and still is. I still keep in touch with everyone. Those that are still alive that is. I recently worked as an in-home nurse for Colonel Potter just before he died. I spent a lot of time with your parents during those days."

Elijah smiled at the image that formed in his head of Lucy nursing her former commander through whatever illness had taken his life. She clearly had a dark side, but something told him that she had done everything she could to ease the old man's pain. The tone of her voice told him that she had probably begged him to let her give him her blood to fix whatever was wrong. If she had he had clearly refused.

A twig snapped somewhere in the yard and he turned to see Jeremy and Hayley leading and unwilling George Hollingsworth up the hollow.

Hayley, who was clearly fed up with the man, gave him a push toward the porch and he stumbled up the steps.

"You must be George." Elijah said. He didn't bother to offer his hand because he knew it would be in vain. "I'm Elijah."

"I know exactly who all of you are." George spat.

George Hollingsworth was a young man, probably in his thirties, and clearly related to Lucy.

"How does it feel to know you're torturing one of your own family members?" Elijah asked.

"There aren't any vampires in my family."

Lucy left Young Hee and stepped outside. "On the contrary. I'm guessing you're George Hollingsworth the second at least. Right?"

"The third."

"Well the first was my grandfather." Lucy explained. "His daughter Rachel was my mother, which makes you my distant nephew. What? No hug for Auntie Lucy?"

The man simply stared at her for a moment. "But your name is McIntyre."

"My married name is McIntyre, but it's been at least a century since I've bothered to use it. I was born Lucinda Hollingsworth." She stepped aside and gestured toward Elijah. "Now, George, if you'd kindly invite my friend in we'll be happy to let you go. Young Hee has informed us that you have nothing to do with the Augustines or any other group. You only own the house."

"I'd rather let you all burn when the sun comes up." George said, glaring at Lucy.

"Yeah." Hayley said. "That's not an option. You do have a choice, however. Either you invite Elijah inside, or I can kill you."

"Oh don't look to me for help." Lucy said, holding up her hands when she saw the tiniest flash of hope in the man's eyes that she might intervene out of family loyalty. "The Hollingsworths abandoned me at an orphanage when I was born. Elijah's more my family than you are, so I'm with Hayley on this one. Let him in or die."

George finally gave in and invited Elijah into the house. They had about an hour before the sun came up. Unfortunately for George they didn't keep their word on letting him go. He was too much of a risk seeing as he was capable of setting the house on fire while they were all seeking shelter in the basement, and immediately became their fourth prisoner.

**The inspiration for the first half of this chapter was gleaned from Florencia7's wonderful story "If & Only If", as was the inspiration for "Please, Come Back To Me". Hope you don't mind, but I had to find a way to include Rebekah in this story, and this was the only thing that made sense to me. I have a feeling these similar story lines are not going to end up in the same place :)**


	21. Chapter 21

As far back as she could remember Sabrina had known that Lucy was a vampire. She had grown up knowing all about vampires, but she had never known anything about werewolves other than that they existed. She had never known one. She had never seen or heard one turn from man to wolf on a full moon, and Tyler's transformation had freaked her out more than a little. Caroline had stayed down in the basement with him and Elena had done her best to assure Sabrina that everything was alright. Klaus' angry, anxious pacing hadn't helped the situation any, but Elena's apparently short fuse had.

One moment she had been sitting beside Sabrina begging Klaus to stop pacing, and the next she was on top of him, pinning him down on the other couch. Sabrina hadn't even seen her move. But apparently yelling at Klaus hadn't been the best idea because he had retaliated by flipping Elena over and, to everyone's surprise, tickling her into submission. Of course that had only gotten him kicked forcefully through a window when Elena grew annoyed with the out of character act.

Now everything was okay again. For the most part anyway. Tyler was human again, and everyone had calmed down. Sabrina still wasn't sure what to make of the whole situation as she sat, once more huddled beside Elena, in the basement of the house they had been held prisoner in. As she listened to Elena, Caroline, and Tyler play some word game to pass the time she watched Klaus and wondered if any of them realized that they were technically still prisoners in this house. Yes, they were free to roam around, but Elena and Caroline couldn't even go upstairs until the sun went down again. What if someone came and decided to lock them all up again?

And what about the rest of her family? Lucy and her siblings. Even Damon and Stefan. Klaus had assured her that everyone was safe, but she wasn't convinced they would stay safe. Clearly there were more people out there that wanted to hurt them and were capable of doing so.

"Okay." Caroline said when it was her turn to throw out a word so her friends could blurt out whatever popped into their heads. "Um…food."

"Cheeseburger." Tyler said.

"Pickles." Elena said with a smile.

Caroline scrunched up her face. "Pickles? You don't even like pickles."

Elena shrugged. "It's a Damon thing."

Caroline put up her hand to stop Elena from explaining further. "I don't want to know. Anyone else want to join in?"

"Ice cream!" Sabrina said. She looked up at Elena. "I don't like pickles either."

Elena smiled at her.

"Blood." Klaus said.

"I think food was a bad word choice." Caroline said. "I'm hungry."

They all agreed, but the problem was that there was only human food in the kitchen upstairs. Tyler and Sabrina would be fine…as long as the others could keep their hunger under control.

Klaus rose to his feet. "Elena, Caroline, stay with the girl. Tyler, you come with me."

"Why?" Tyler asked.

"Because we can't eat Sabrina." Klaus said as he headed for the stairs. "We're going hunting."

Tyler reluctantly followed, leaving the three girls behind.

Sabrina looked from Elena to Caroline and back again. "They aren't going to kill someone, are they?"

"No." Caroline said quickly. "Tyler won't let Klaus kill anyone. They'll just compel someone to come feed us. Or they'll find a blood bank somewhere and bring us blood bags."

The game continued.

"Family." Caroline said.

"Friends." Elena replied.

"Gone." Sabrina said. She looked up at Elena in the silence that followed. "Elena, I know Klaus said that everyone is okay, but what if something happens to Lucy? What will happen to us?"

Elena slipped her arms around the girl and pulled her close, resting her chin on Sabrina's head. "You'll stay with us. With your family."

"You, and Damon, and Stefan?"

Elena nodded. "And Caroline, and Jeremy, and Alaric, all of us."

Caroline smiled at her from across the hall. "We're a family, and we'll all take care of you. We're already taking care of you. You don't have anything to worry about."

Sabrina smiled and snuggled against Elena. "Love."

"Damon."

"Stefan."

"This." Sabrina added.

%%%

"I have a proposition for you, Tyler." Klaus announced as they walked toward town.

"Forget it."

"Hear me out." Klaus requested. "I think you'll be interested."

Tyler didn't respond.

Klaus continued. "We've recently discovered that my mother had made a moonlight ring, similar to a daylight ring, for my father."

"Why would Mikael need a moonlight ring?" Tyler asked.

"My real father." Klaus corrected. "We found a witch we thought we could trust to make twelve of these rings for Hayley and her pack. Unfortunately we were shanghaied."

"What a surprise." Tyler said dryly.

Klaus ignored him. "A rival pack stole the rings, and we later found out that this trusted witch had linked them to me. Now on every full moon they draw power from me to keep these wolves from turning."

"So?"

"Imagine if you will the excruciating pain of twelve wolves turning at once." Klaus said. "I have to feel every bit of that pain. More, I'm sure, than you've ever felt."

"Why are you telling me this?" Tyler asked. "I don't have any sympathy for you, Klaus."

"Yes, I know, but I thought you might be interested in a moonlight ring of your own." Klaus explained. "If you will help us get the rings away from the Guerrera wolves so we can either unlink them or destroy them, I will see to it that you get one. That way you don't have to turn every full moon, and you don't have to go through the humiliation of being sired to me."

"You seemed to take all that pain just fine last night." Tyler pointed out.

"I have a feeling I know who to thank for that." Klaus pulled out his phone and dialed Davina's number.

"Klaus. Is everyone alright?" Davina asked, clearly concerned.

"We're all fine." He replied. "Last night was interesting though. It was a full moon and I didn't feel a thing other than anxiety. Why is that?"

"Because I found a way to divert the link." Davina explained. "It would only work once though, so you'd better find a way to get those rings back before the next full moon."

"Who did you divert the link to?" Klaus demanded.

"Myself."

"Davina."

"Don't yell at me Klaus." She said before he could go any further. "I don't need as much protection as you all seem to think. I handled the full moon just fine last night."

Klaus decided not to argue with her even though he really didn't like the idea of the young witch bearing his burden. "Have the humans arrived from Mystic Falls yet?"

"Yes. Sheriff Forbes, Dr. Fell, Matt, Aiden, Megan, and Noah are all here safe and sound." Davina confirmed. "Cami and Josh are helping them settle in right now. When are the rest of you coming back?"

"We're leaving tonight." He explained. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to find someone for Elena and Caroline to eat for lunch."

Davina hung up and set her phone on the table beside her bed. She felt very weak after last night and Marcel had insisted she spend the day in bed to regain her strength. The amount of magic it had taken to divert the link on the rings from Klaus, and the physical pain itself had almost been too much for her.

"I'm fine, Marcel." She said impatiently as she looked at the man sitting in the corner, watching her like a hawk. "You don't have to watch me. If I need anything I'll call you. Please, just let me sleep a little without a pair of eyes staring at me."

Marcel rose reluctantly, placed a loving kiss on her forehead, and left the room. Davina knew he was standing right outside the door, and she smiled to herself as she settled in for another nap.


	22. Chapter 22

Bonnie glanced over her shoulder at Elijah and Siobhan walking behind her, partly because the loving scene made her smile and partly because she was checking to make sure Mikael wasn't following them.

Mikael, the vampire that hunted vampires, was miserable company in general, but in this place his lousiness as a companion had only been magnified. Bonnie and Siobhan had found ways of passing the time by playing games, telling stories, and digging through the rubble that had once been a family's home and still was in another world. But Mikael, apparently having nothing to look forward to, had let the boredom and monotony get to him. He sat in his corner taunting them with vicious horror stories that left Bonnie no choice but to defend Klaus, something that still felt very strange to her given her history with him.

She had been ready to beat him over the head with a very heavy dictionary, even though she knew it wouldn't hurt him here, when Elijah had appeared in a broken window and beckoned the witches outside.

"You know what, Bonnie?" Siobhan had said upon spotting Elijah. "I'm getting really tired of sitting here listening to Grandpa try to convince me that I'm an idiot. Let's take a walk."

"My legs could use a good stretch." Bonnie had agreed, ignoring Mikael's objections to being called Grandpa.

As soon as they were out of the house Elijah had grabbed each girl by the arm and sped away from the ruins of the house, whisking them all the way to the site of the witch massacre. At their demands to know what was going on he had quickly explained the plan and spirited them even further away from Mikael. They were now completely out of Mystic Falls, and Bonnie wasn't entirely certain they were even still in Virginia. They had been walking for what seemed like a couple of days. Surely they were getting closer to New Orleans.

What she didn't understand was why _she_ was the one leading the way. Of the three of them she was the one that had never been to New Orleans, and yet the other two had fallen several behind yards.

"Elijah, are you sure we're going the right way?" she called over her shoulder as she continued to move forward. Since she wasn't watching where she was going she didn't see the root protruding from the ground.

Her next step had her foot lodging under the root and the next thing she knew she was tumbling head over heels down a steep embankment and landing face first in a very cold creek.

"While we are indeed headed in the general direction of New Orleans," Elijah said as he appeared beside her and offered a hand to help her up. "I don't think this particular path was the right choice. Are you alright?"

Bonnie took his hand and allowed him to haul her to her feet. He had asked if she was alright, but she could see the teasing glint in his eyes and the poorly veiled amusement on his face. She pushed her wet hair out of her own face and looked up at him. "I'm dead, Elijah. I don't think a quick game of Jack and Jill will hurt me too much."

They began to trek back up the mini cliff, Elijah lightly holding her arm so that she wouldn't slip and tumble back into the water again. He smiled at her. "I was thinking Humpty-Dumpty, but I suppose Jack and Jill would be a bit more fitting."

They weren't even halfway up the hill when Bonnie suddenly gave him a playful shove, knowing the fall wouldn't harm him, and sent him tumbling into the water he had just pulled her out of. "I guess that makes you Jack."

Elijah sat in the water for a moment staring at her with a stunned look on his face. Bonnie stood dripping on the hill gazing back triumphantly, and Siobhan watched the entire scene unfold from above, doubled over in near hysterics.

She was still laughing when they finally made it to the top of the hill, clutching her sides and almost unable to breath.

"I don't recall you being so easily amused." Elijah said.

Siobhan tried to sober herself, but took one look at his dripping face and mussed hair and was overcome by another fit of giggles. "I'm sorry." She finally managed. "I can't wait to get back and tell Klaus about this!"

%%%

Tyler was amazed at the change he saw in Klaus when the girl was around. He still looked the same and Tyler knew he was still the vicious killer that had ruined his life, but he laughed and smiled almost constantly when he was with Sabrina. It was like he had another personality that only came out for her, and it was weird.

They had walked all last night and when the sun had risen they had sought shelter in another cave by a river. They weren't too far from a small town and Klaus had taken Sabrina with him while Tyler stayed with Caroline and Elena. When they had come back two hours later Klaus had been carrying Sabrina on his back and two shopping bags in his hands. The two of them were chatting easily with the two hikers that were now with them.

The hikers had been compelled to come back and act as a food source for the three members of the group that needed blood in their stomachs, and were currently roasting marshmallows with Caroline and Sabrina. Klaus had gone off on his own to do who knows what, and Tyler was walking along the river's edge with Elena.

"This is the first time I've ever had to experience life as a vampire without my daylight ring." Elena said as she paused to look out at the lazily flowing water.

"Just be glad you aren't a werewolf." Tyler said. "You may be tough, but I don't think you could handle turning every full moon."

Elena glanced up at him, wondering if he was right. She had been through a lot that had required large amounts of emotional and psychological strength, but could she handle the pain of transforming into a wolf once a month? And what about what Klaus had been going through the last couple of months, feeling the transformation of not one, but twelve wolves? She felt sorry for him, but should she really? After all the terrible things he had done didn't he deserve to suffer just a little?

"Have you thought about Klaus' offer?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I don't trust him." Tyler replied. "It's Klaus."

"Which means he probably wouldn't ask for your help unless he really needed it." she reminded him. "And he usually does keep his promises."

"Unless a better offer comes along."

Elena sat down on a rock and looked up at him. "Think about it this way. Do you really have a choice?"

"Of course I have a choice." Tyler said, sitting down beside her on the large rock. "I can trust Klaus and either get a moonlight ring or get screwed over again, or I can turn him down and risk turning him against me. Again. Or I can let him turn me into a hybrid and go through the pain of breaking the sire bond again."

Elena brushed her hair away from her face as a night breeze picked up. "You know you can be a hybrid without Klaus turning you, right? Being a hybrid just means you're a werewolf that was turned into a vampire. You don't have to be turned by another hybrid. _I_ could turn you, and you wouldn't have to be sired to Klaus."

"Yeah, but then I'd be sired to _you_, Elena."

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be better to be sired to someone you actually like that wouldn't take advantage of the bond?" she asked. "I mean, you do like me, don't you?"

He smiled at her teasing tone. "Of course I like you. You are my friend after all, and you've done a lot to help make sure I'm safe. You kept Stefan and Damon from killing me even though we weren't exactly BFFs. You have no idea how grateful I am for that, Elena. But I don't want to be sired to anyone. No offense."

She smiled at him and stood up as Klaus wandered back. "I get it, but you should still consider the option. If you decide to become a hybrid again, let me know. This offer doesn't come with an expiration date. And maybe we can find some other way to break the sire bond this time."

"What, like you did?" he asked, standing up and slinging his arm around her shoulders. He have her a gentle squeeze. "Turn off my emotions?"

"No!" she said. "That was awful. No matter how bad things get I will never _ever_ do that again! I tried to kill my two best friends, and I did kill that poor innocent waitress. Never again."

"Good to know."

"What would Damon say if he saw this?" Klaus asked as he approached.

Elena flashed him a smile simply because she was in a good mood. "He'd probably say something snarky."

"Well, we're running out of moonlight." Klaus said, reminding them that they still had a long way to go. "Shall we have one last snack for the road and get a move on?"

The three of them made their way back to the cave where the pair of hikers willingly offered up their veins one last time before being compelled to forget the entire experience. The hikers were sent on their way, the remaining food supplies were packed up, and the fire extinguished. Elena woke Sabrina from her nap and Tyler hoisted the leggy young girl onto his back where she promptly drifted back to sleep. The poor girl was exhausted from all the excitement of the last few days.

Klaus took the lead without objection since he knew the area and the group took up its journey once more, all of them looking forward to the impending reunion in New Orleans.


	23. Chapter 23

"So Stefan and Caroline are dating, or are together seeing as this mess hasn't left anyone with time to date, but didn't you date Caroline as well, Damon?" Enzo asked as the four of them tramped through the woods of South Carolina.

"No." Damon said as if the idea was completely preposterous, and to both him and Caroline it was. "I did not _date_ Caroline."

"He _used_ Caroline." Stefan corrected. "He also tried to kill her when we found out she was a vampire."

Damon looked at his brother. "You can't honestly tell me that you thought Caroline Forbes would make a good vampire, Stefan."

"She did better than Vicki."

There was a note of accusation in Stefan's voice, but Damon ignored it. He had already figured out that he would never hear the end of Vicki Donovan. He would also never hear the end of trying to kill Caroline after using her. He would never hear the end of a lot of things, and he simply had to live with it. All the bad things he had done were in the past. They couldn't be undone even if the people could be brought back. If he thought it would makes things better he would happily find a way to bring Vicki Donovan back, but it wouldn't change the fact that she was dead because of him.

"Vicki Donovan was a lost cause." Damon said. "I know it's a terrible tragedy, but it's true. She was headed down the same road as her mother. The only difference was that Matt hadn't given up on her yet."

"Can we not talk about all the people Damon has killed or turned?" Alaric asked. "We're headed down a road I don't really want to go down."

"And what road would that be?" Enzo asked.

"Isobel." Damon replied.

"Who is Isobel?"

"Ric's wife, Elena's mother." Damon said, trying to spare his friend as much pain as possible. "She begged me to turn her, I did, and then she turned into a major vamp bitch. She tortured us a little and then she set herself on fire right in front of Elena. And that's more than you needed to know."

"Well she sounds lovely." Enzo said ironically.

"She was." Alaric confirmed. "Before she met Damon."

"Water under the bridge, Ric." Damon said. "Let it go."

"So Caroline's dated both Matt _and_ Tyler and slept with Klaus _and _Damon." Enzo said, circling back to the origin of the conversation. "And I think it's quite obvious that she's at least attracted to me. Are you sure you're alright with all of that Stefan?"

"How about we don't talk about my girlfriend's sexual history?" Stefan replied.

Enzo sucked air through his teeth, making a hissing sound. "It seems I've struck a nerve."

"Enzo." Damon said. "You're my friend and all, but you're getting _really_ annoying. Could you please shut up before I'm forced to kill you?"

%%%

"Have you lost you bloody mind?" Rebekah demanded, sitting up straight in the motel bed despite the lingering traces of wolf venom in her system that still had her feeling a little under the weather.

Kol had just finished explaining to her that he had worked out a bargain with their mother. She would bring him back and he would tell her where Rebekah was hiding. Out of boredom he had decided to sell out his only sister and turn his only niece over to the woman that had almost certainly killed her by now.

"She gave me her word that the child would not be harmed." Kol insisted.

Rebekah let out a bitter laugh. "And you _believed_ her? Kol, you are an idiot! Do you have any idea what Elijah and Klaus are going to do to you when they find out what you've done? Not to mention Hayley! Where are we?"

"Some little town in Maine called Crabapple Cove." Kol replied. "Why?"

Rebekah swung her legs out of the bed and stood up, ignoring her wobbly ankles. "Because I don't want to be anywhere near you right now."

"Are you forgetting that I saved your life, Rebekah?" Kol asked, moving to block her only exit.

"Saved my life?" she rushed at him but he was stronger and threw her back on the bed. She sat up and glared at him. "I wouldn't have needed saving if it weren't for you!"

"Where are you going to go, Rebekah?" Kol asked.

"Home." She said definitively. "I'm going to go home."

She had no idea what had become of her phone so she snatched his from the table between the two beds and dashed out of the room, getting as far away from Kol as she could. She stopped in a dark, deserted park and sat down on one of the swings to rest. As she dialed the number she knew by heart she felt tears running down her face and she was crying at full force as she pressed the phone to her ear and listened to it ring. _Please, please have the same number._

"Hello?" a familiar voice finally filled her ear.

She was so relieved she stopped crying altogether. "Matt? It's Rebekah. I need your help."

"Rebekah?" Matt repeated. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Could you just come get me?" she asked, sniffing. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Yeah, of course I'll come get you." Matt replied, sounding concerned. "Where are you?"

"Some park in Crabapple Cove, Maine."

"Maine?" Matt asked. "Rebekah, I'm in New Orleans."

She shoved her hair out of her face. "Good. That's exactly where I want to be. Get on a plane and come get me. I'll pay you back every cent."

"Yeah. Okay." Matt agreed. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Can I call you back at this number?"

"Yes." She said. "Thank you."

Matt hung up the phone and sighed. He couldn't afford a plane ticket to Maine. He walked out of his room and looked over the railing to the courtyard below. Marcel was on his way out.

"Marcel!" Matt called.

Marcel stopped and looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"I need your help. It's Rebekah."

Matt had no idea that Marcel and Rebekah had a romantic history. All he knew was that he needed money for a plane ticket and possibly backup that couldn't be killed so easily.

After Matt explained the phone call he had just received they left Davina and Josh in charge since they were the only supernatural residents left in the house. They each packed a bag and headed out to catch a flight to Maine to rescue Rebekah from whatever, or whomever, had her so desperate to return to New Orleans.

Meanwhile Rebekah had wandered around the small town of Crabapple Cove until she had found a nice elderly couple willing to let her stay with them until Matt arrived.

Dr. Hawkeye Pierce and his wife Margaret had provided her with actual food since they had no way of knowing that she was a vampire, a comfortable bed with clean sheets, and a private bathroom where she took a long hot shower before slipping under the fresh smelling cotton linens of her temporary bed, feeling much safer now that she was away from Kol.


	24. Chapter 24

"You're from England, right?" Margaret asked over breakfast the next morning.

Rebekah smiled and sipped her coffee, wishing it were blood. She was getting hungry. _Hurry up, Matt._ "My family is from Europe, but we've been in New Orleans for a while. We spent some time in a small town in Virginia as well."

"We used to work with a guy from New Orleans." Hawkeye said. "When we were in Korea. Luther Rizzo."

Rebekah shrugged. "I'm sorry. I've never met anyone named Rizzo as far as I know."

"That's probably for the best." Margaret said smiling. "Rizzo was probably the laziest, most useless member of the 4077. I can't imagine he changed much when he got home."

"When is your friend supposed to arrive?" Hawkeye asked.

"I'm not sure." Rebekah admitted. "I texted him your address this morning, but I haven't heard back from him yet. I would assume sometime today. He left New Orleans last night."

Her hosts exchanged a look across the table and she knew they wanted to ask what, or whom, she was running from. Since they had been kind enough to take her in in the middle of the night she felt they deserved to know at least some of the story. Especially if someone managed to track her down before Matt got here.

"I'm so sorry I had to wake you last night, but this was the first place I came to that looked safe and I was rather desperate." She said. "I'm having some…family issues. My mother and I don't exactly get along, and I don't really trust my brother at the moment."

Margaret's hand reached out involuntarily and rested comfortingly on Rebekah's arm. "I'm so sorry to hear that. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need."

"What about your father?" Hawkeye asked, obviously trying to figure out if maybe they should call him. She looked young enough to still be in high school, and even though nothing bad ever happened in Crabapple Cove she still shouldn't be wandering around the streets alone.

"My father is dead." Rebekah admitted, hoping she didn't sound too happy about it. "He wasn't all that wonderful either. I have two other brothers, but I'm not sure how to get a hold of them. That's why I called Matt. I'll be fine once he gets here. I'll be safe with him."

As she spoke the words she knew they weren't necessarily true. Yes, Matt would try his best to keep her safe, but she would likely be the one to save him in the end. She was an Original that could only be killed with one weapon that Kol couldn't possibly have, and he was simply a boy with a Gilbert ring. Matt probably hadn't been the best person to call, but he had been the only one whose number she could remember.

Hawkeye and Margaret were both worried about her. She was a young girl afraid of her family, alone in a strange place, and was clearly scared. She checked her phone repeatedly for missed calls or text messages from her friend, and she avoided windows, even with the curtains drawn, as if she were afraid someone might walk by the house and see her inside. She put on a brave front, but she was clearly a nervous wreck.

Finally the doorbell rang a few hours after they had eaten lunch.

Rebekah rushed to greet Matt, keeping as far away from the deadly rays of sunlight as possible, as Hawkeye answered the door. "Matt! Thank god you're here. I—" She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the familiar and completely unexpected face standing behind Matt. "Marcel. I wasn't expecting you."

"I didn't have the money for a plane ticket." Matt explained. "And I figured it might be safer to bring someone that can protect you a little better than I can since we don't know what's going on."

Rebekah wasn't sure how she felt about seeing Matt and Marcel together, but she was glad to see both of them because they were on her side. Introductions were made and they all moved into the living room where Rebekah carefully explained what was going on. Even though she was careful not to mention anything that might give away the fact that vampires and witches were involved she could tell that the Pierces were beginning to suspect that this wasn't your everyday average family drama.

"And I've lost my ring!" Rebekah concluded, trying to make it sound as if she had simply misplaced a favorite piece of jewelry.

Matt and Marcel both knew exactly what ring she was talking about. They also knew that it meant that she couldn't leave this house until the sun went down.

"Matt and I have had a long flight and a rough couple of days." Marcel said truthfully. "Would it be okay if we hung out here for a while?"

"Of course." Margaret assured him. "You're all welcome to stay as long as you need."

Matt spotted a photograph hanging over the fireplace and got up to take a closer look.

"That's a picture of the whole unit." Hawkeye said. "It was taken just a few days before peace was declared. Margaret and I spent a large chunk of our lives with those people."

Matt scanned the faces simply out of curiosity and his eyes grew wide when he spotted one he recognized. He pointed to the seemingly young woman standing between Hawkeye and a tall man with a mustache. "Who is this? She looks familiar."

"That's one of the best nurses we ever had the opportunity to work with." Margaret explained. "Lieutenant Lucy Salvatore. Wonderful girl."

"Salvatore?" Rebekah repeated. "Matt, do you think she's related to Damon and Stefan?"

"I know she is." He said. "But I know her as Lucy Hollingsworth."

"Hollingsworth was her maiden name." Hawkeye said as he and Margaret exchange another glance. "Are you sure that's the Lucy you know?"

Matt nodded.

"Then you know what she is." Margaret guessed.

Rebekah looked around the room and realized that she was the only one that didn't know who this Lucy person was. "What's going on? Who is she?"

Matt pointed to the picture that had been taken seventy years ago where Lucy looked exactly like she did today. "She's Damon's daughter."

"How does Damon have a daughter?" Rebekah asked, confused. "What have I missed since I left Mystic Falls?"

"A lot." Marcel said. He looked at Margaret and Hawkeye. "And you two could very well be in danger now."

More explanations were required and Rebekah was stunned when she heard what all had happened in the last couple of months. The Pierces were surprised to learn that two of their current guests were vampires, and were absolutely shocked to hear about what Marcel described as an impending war between the humans and the supernatural species.

"Do they want all of us gone, or just the vampires?" Rebekah demanded.

"We're not sure yet." Matt said.

"Rebekah, do you think Kol would be willing to help us?" Marcel asked. "You said he sold you out so that your mother would bring him back. If he was that desperate to come back…"

"Even if he was willing to help I don't think he'd be of much use after Nik kills him for handing Hope over to our mother." Rebekah replied. "We've _got _to get her back."

Marcel sighed and stood up. "Where is Kol?"

Rebekah told him the name of the motel she had run from and he told the rest of them to stay put while he went to talk to Kol.

Rebekah looked at the elderly couple that had been so kind to her. "Don't worry. We've been through this sort of thing before. And we will make sure you stay safe."

Hawkeye informed them that they had a reunion in a few days that they had to pack for and left Matt and Rebekah in the living room.

"Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm starving." Rebekah admitted. "All I've eaten today is food. Would you mind?"

"Of course!" he said, offering up his arm without a second thought. "I'm sorry. It didn't even occur to me that you might need to feed. Just try not to kill me."

Rebekah smiled at him and sank her teeth into his arm, feeling guilty about having to hurt him when he hissed at the pain. She drank only enough to keep her going for a while. He had his Gilbert ring, but she really didn't want to kill him. Especially with the uncertain state of the Other Side. When she was finished she wiped the blood from her face and managed to find a bandage for Matt's arm in the medicine cabinet of her bathroom. He was wary of drinking vampire blood since he had no intentions of becoming a vampire himself, so she doctored the wound she had inflicted on him as best she could.

"Thank you for coming to get me." She said as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

Matt easily returned the hug. "I couldn't leave you stranded in Maine."

She smiled as she pulled away a couple of inches and kissed him on impulse. "You are a wonderful friend, Matt Donovan."


	25. Chapter 25

**I've realized that I've made a few mistakes regarding the M*A*S*H connections to this story. In the last chapter I said that the picture of the 4077****th**** had been taken seventy years ago. I was very wrong. It would have only been about fifty-eight years ago since the parts of this story that take place in the present take place in 2011. That also means that Klinger would be about eighty-nine since he was supposedly thirty-one when M*A*S*H ended, so from here on out Young-Hee will be his and Soon-Lee's granddaughter. I might go back and actually edit that particular part of the story, but I'm not going to worry about it right now. And just for reference, Hawkeye would also be eighty-nine and Margaret (Major Houlihan) would be ninety-two.**

**I also realize that in "Please, Come Back To Me" Siobhan said that she'd only recently gotten to know Klaus and Elijah well, while in this story they raised her from the age of thirteen. I also said that the Cavanaughs' landlord kicked Shiv out of the house when her parents died, when we later find out that Klaus and Elijah burned the house for a cover story. Clearly I'm having a few continuity errors. **

**I now return you to your regularly scheduled program, which has jumped ahead a little.**

Elena looked around the courtyard of the compound that was now her temporary home, her eyes scanning over the faces of so many people that she loved, or in some cases simply had been forced to work and live with. Damon and Stefan, Jeremy, Ric, Caroline and Tyler, Meredith, Liz, Matt, Lucy and her three kids all held special places in her heart. These people were her family. She would do anything for them. Then there was Cami, who had helped them get Damon and their home back by bringing a vial of Klaus' blood, and Hayley who Elena hadn't liked when she had first met her, but now her heart broke for the young mother that had had to send her baby away. She didn't know Davina, Marcel, or Josh all that well yet, but they seemed like good allies as long as she didn't cross them.

There was Kol, whom she had helped kill once already, and Rebekah who had killed her. She wasn't exactly sure how she felt about seeing them again, but she felt for Rebekah the same as she felt for Hayley about the Hope situation. Enzo wasn't her favorite person in the world, but he was Damon's friend and she was stuck with him. At least she was fairly certain she could trust him. Tessa was the same. She hadn't been a friend at all in the beginning, but she had done so much recently to help them and it looked as if she intended to stick around and continue helping. Poor Elijah, who Elena had a major soft spot for, was still daggered in his coffin.

Klaus was a completely different story. He had tried to kill her, and had succeeded in killing Jenna and ruining Tyler's life. He had turned Stefan against her. But, even thought he was possibly the vilest person she had ever met, she still cared about him. Because he had done some good things too that proved to her that he was capable of caring about other people. Despite the fact that he had tried to kill her, he had saved her more than once. She also understood what it was like to loose someone you love, and since Hope still hadn't been found her heart went out to him. When he spoke of her she could see nothing but pure love in his eyes even though he had only known his daughter for a few brief moments before sending her away with Rebekah where she would be safe. Until Kol had intervened.

As she looked around at all of these people that were on her side now, preparing to fight in unison against the ones that wanted to take them down, she couldn't help but wonder what Klaus had in store for his younger brother as soon as Kol's help was no longer needed. Kol may be his brother, but surely Klaus wouldn't let it slide that he had sold them out to Esther. He had viciously pursued Elena, who had never done anything to him or even had an idea that he existed, simply because she was the doppelganger. She hadn't threatened his only child.

She felt Damon's arm circle around her waist, pulling her closer, and thought about their most recent reunion a couple of days ago and the secret they currently shared. Once they had Bonnie and Siobhan back, and Elijah was undaggered they would break the news and hopefully give everyone something to be happy about and look forward to. They may be vampires, technically dead, and it was weird to even think but she was overjoyed to be able to put her arms around Damon and rest her head on his shoulder, silently testing out the name she would be going by for the rest of forever as she watched his other arm settle easily around Lucy's shoulders. The Salvatore line may have ended when Damon killed Zack, but there was definitely still a Salvatore family. And it wasn't just the Salvatore brothers.

"Klaus?" Tessa said, gesturing to Elijah's desiccated body lying in the open coffin. "You've daggered your brother plenty of times. Would you like to _un_dagger him for a change?"

Klaus smiled faintly and took a step back. "I think that honor belongs to someone else. Hayley?"

Hayley rolled her eyes at the ceremony of it all, but on the inside she was pleased that Klaus had turned the task over to her. Despite their weird situation she couldn't deny the fact that she felt something for the elder Mikaelson brother. She felt something for Klaus too, but she was almost certain that it was only because they had been through so much together and had a daughter together. Whatever form of love she felt toward Klaus, or whatever it was, it didn't compare to what she felt when Elijah looked at her with those brown eyes of his. She knew it wasn't smart to fall in love with him. She had known it hadn't been smart to have sex with Klaus either, but she had done it anyway.

Suddenly feeling nervous for some unknown reason she walked over to the coffin, grasped the dagger that they now knew the Augustines had stolen from Rebekah, and pulled it free from Elijah's body. She knew nothing would happen immediately, but she was still a little disappointed when Elijah continued to lie there looking gray and somewhat withered.

They all waited patiently for Elijah to wake up, and the children were startled when he suddenly drew in a sharp breath and sat up, a slightly terrified look on his face. Damon's heart swelled a little when Sabrina pressed against him, looking for someone to make her feel safe during the alarming experience of seeing someone come back to life for the first time. He was quickly growing to love this grandchild of his very much.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Brother." Klaus said, taking the dagger from Hayley and plunging it into Kol's chest two seconds later. "Our baby brother here has bargained his way back by telling our mother where Rebekah was hiding Hope. We currently have no idea where she is or what's become of her."

"And if you don't undagger him he'll be gone forever when we bring Bonnie and Siobhan back." Caroline reminded him as Elijah processed the welcome back speech.

"I'm perfectly okay with that, love." Klaus said.

"He's your _brother_!" Caroline exclaimed.

Klaus simply looked at her. "Caroline, you should know by now that that no longer means very much to me."

Caroline wasn't ready to let it go. "You fought _so hard_, and did _so much_; you _killed_ so many innocent people to get your family back. You carried them around with you daggered in coffins like creepy keepsakes for _years_! They make _one_ mistake, and suddenly they're disposable?"

Klaus walked over to her, putting Liz, Stefan, Tyler, Elena, and Alaric on guard. Even Enzo looked like he was ready to pounce at the first sign of trouble. But Klaus ignored them all, his gaze focused solely on Caroline. "Are your really defending what he did? Do you think that telling my mother, whose only purpose in life is to kill her children, where my daughter is being hidden and subsequently putting Rebekah in the hands of a bunch of deranged, vampire-hating lunatics is something that can be easily forgiven? In the short time I've been away from Mystic Falls have you already forgotten what I am?" He didn't give her a chance to reply. "Well, let me remind you. My _brother_ has done something I cannot and will not forgive. He deserves to be punished. He _deserves_ to die. And, my sweet Caroline, unable to be anything other than what I am, I will not give him anything other than what he deserves." He looked around the room, spreading his hands in a gesture encompassing the entire group. "Does anyone else have any objections? Does anyone else have any legitimate reason why I should let Kol live?"

Elijah climbed out of his coffin, allowing Hayley to help him and walked over to Klaus, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Niklaus, Caroline is right. No matter what he's done, Kol _is_ our brother. And while I am in no way defending his choices or deeming him worthy of forgiveness, we may need his help. He may very well be able to help us find out mother…and save Hope. If you must kill him, I implore you to wait until all of this is over. Wait until our mother is gone for good, and your daughter has been delivered safely back to your arms."

Klaus glared at Elijah. "He might be useful, so I should grant him mercy?"

"I did not say that, brother." Elijah replied.

"I think he's suggesting you _use_ Kol to get what you want." Damon put in. "Until he no longer serves a purpose. Then kill him."

Klaus stalked over to where Kol's body lay on the floor and yanked the dagger out, throwing it to the floor with a clatter. "Fine. If you all feel that way, we'll see just how useful Kol might be. But if this doesn't turn out the way you all seem to think it will…well, you know me."

"Don't you want to see Siobhan?" Tessa called out as Klaus angrily headed for the door.

Klaus turned and came back, glaring at Tessa. "Well? What are you waiting for? Go ahead and bring her back."

Tessa glanced at Elijah for confirmation. Elijah explained that Bonnie and Siobhan were where they needed to be and that Mikael was no where to be found. It was safe to perform the spell and bring them back. Everyone was eager to do just that, not only because they would have Bonnie and Siobhan back, but because as soon as Bonnie was back the Other Side would disappear forever. And it would take Mikael with it.

**I know it took me a long time to get this chapter up, but I've been going through some personal stuff and haven't felt much like writing. I finally got my groove back a few days ago, but have been focusing on my own original stuff since I was so stuck with this. I'm sorry about the long wait, and I hope you enjoy! Thanks for your patience and continued support!**


	26. Chapter 26

Hayley stood between Elena and Elijah, watching as everyone else was as Tessa and Davina began the spell that would bring Bonnie and Siobhan back from the Other Side. She glanced at Elena, practically clinging to Damon, for a brief moment and fleetingly wondered if she would ever be that in deep in love.

Elijah shifted beside her and his hand brushed hers. She instinctively jerked away and smiled somewhat nervously at him when he gave her an apologetic look. It suddenly felt as if they were strangers and he had stepped on her foot. And yet they knew each other so well. Or at least it seemed as if they did. But Hayley really wasn't sure she knew Elijah all that well at all.

The chanting grew louder and she found herself thinking about Siobhan. When the redheaded witch had first arrived Hayley had had no idea who she was. Klaus and Elijah had never once mentioned her. She remembered hearing bits and pieces of the nearly vicious fight that had broken out when Klaus had accused Siobhan of helping Katherine, and then Elijah had swooped in and defended her somehow keeping his brother at bay as always. Hayley had no idea how he did it, because it seemed like it would be the most impossible thing in the world. Then again Elijah was good at handling things that seemed impossible.

No one had explained the exact nature of the relationship between the Mikaelson family and Siobhan Cavanaugh, which is why Hayley had been a little jealous over the affection lavished on her by _both_ Mikaelson brothers. Thankfully Jeremy had set her straight on the way back to New Orleans as their compelled prisoners carried the coffin through the moonlit woods of some southern state. She wanted to ask Elijah why he hadn't told her who Siobhan was, but it didn't surprise her that he hadn't. It wasn't as if anyone in this family that she now considered herself a part of ever sat down and had a real conversation. No. They only had strategy sessions and loud, angry fights full of hurtful words and ominous threats.

Suddenly the air began to heat and simmer and she was pulled out of her thoughts. The witches were practically screaming the words of the spell now and a few moments later Siobhan materialized out of nowhere in the circle made by their joined hands. She joined the circle, clasping hands with both Davina and Tessa, and began repeating the words with them, the volume growing still louder. The air continued to heat and simmer until it seemed as if it were boiling like a pot of water on a stove and suddenly Bonnie appeared in the circle. There was a loud, thunderous sound followed by something that sounded like the world's largest lightning bolt severing a large tree limb, and everything began to shake violently.

The sudden, unexpected earthquake took Hayley by surprise and knocked her off balance, throwing her to the floor where she landed roughly on her hands and knees. Elijah moved quickly to help her as the children clung to Lucy, Damon, and Elena and Matt and Jeremy were knocked to the floor as well. This earthquake, caused by an entire world self-destructing once and for all, was worse than any of the ones Davina had caused before she had died, and Hayley was actually scared. It didn't seem like it was ending anytime soon and pieces of the house began to break away and crash to the ground as Bonnie joined in on the spell. Elijah put his arms around Hayley to protect her from falling debris and she clung to him because she didn't know what else to do.

Finally, and suddenly, everything was still and silent. The dust began to settle and Hayley finally looked up. What she saw amazed her. All four witches were there and everyone was still clinging to each other or had begun to help each other up, but the compound, which had been coming down around them only seconds ago, was perfectly fine. The only proof they had that any of it had happened was the fact that Bonnie and Siobhan were back and some of them would likely have a few bruises tomorrow.

Everyone looked around in amazement for a moment and Elijah helped Hayley to her feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked, gently brushing a lock of hair out of her face.

She smiled at him. "I'm fine."

"It's done." Tessa announced. "Your witches are back, and the Other Side no longer exists."

Everyone excitedly rushed toward Bonnie and Siobhan to welcome them back. Hayley expected Elijah to do the same, but he remained by her side, watching the excited hugging.

"Why didn't you tell me she was your daughter?" Hayley asked, watching as Siobhan greeted Klaus with a not-so-chaste kiss.

"Why? Were you jealous?"

There was a teasing tone in his voice and when she looked at him he was smiling at her. Now she was only embarrassed. "Stop."

"What?" he asked innocently. "I'm only smiling."

"Exactly." She said.

"What's wrong with smiling? I'm happy."

Hayley turned and met his eyes, her own filling with tears against her will. "You may have your daughter back, but mine is still missing. I'm glad you're happy, but I'm not. And I won't be until I have my baby back in my arms."

A tear slid down her cheek and she ran off to her room because she could no longer stand all the happiness and laughter. Elijah followed, ignoring her demands for him to leave. She tried to slam the door in his face, but he put out a hand to stop it and easily forced his way inside where he put his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him.

"You _will_ get your daughter back, Hayley." He promised.

She stared at him for a long moment and then threw her arms around his neck and sobbed. She felt his arms wrap around her and, although she didn't feel good, she felt safe. She knew that Elijah wasn't going to stop until Hope was found and Esther was dead. Neither would Klaus or Rebekah. And neither would she.

**Short chapter, but at least it's something. I've been a little obsessed with Phoebe lately, which means I'm a little obsessed with Hayley. I'm thinking about writing a story focusing on her, but I'm not sure if it will be multiple chapters or just a one-off. I'm also not sure if I'm actually going to do it or not, but keep your eyes open for it anyway. I'll let you know when and if I post it. Thanks for your continued support, and feel free to leave suggestions as to what you would like to see happen. I think this particular story is almost over, but there's definitely a possibility for a continuation seeing as everything won't be wrapped up in this one unless I want it to be five hundred chapters long. Which I don't. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading!**


	27. Chapter 27

_ "I've been doing some thinking." Damon said as they strolled along Bourbon Street hand in hand. "About us."_

_ Elena looked up at him, a flicker of worry crossing her face and reflecting what she was feeling. "Damon, these talks never end well for us."_

_ "This one will." He promised. "Trust me."_

_ She nodded. "Okay."_

_ "I keep loosing you." He said. "In one way or another. We break up, one of us dies, the other gets kidnapped. I'm getting really tired of it."_

_ "So am I, but what—"_

_ Damon stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, turned to face her, and took her face in his hands. "Listen to me, Elena. I never want to loose you in any way ever again. I know I can't really ensure that what with all the supernatural craziness that seems to follow us around, but I love you more than I've ever loved anyone or anything in my entire life. You've saved me from myself, and all I ever want to do, for the rest of eternity, is love you and protect you and just be with you. Only you."_

_ Elena felt her eyes fill with tears at his sweet words as she reached up and covered one of his hands with her own. "Damon, I want that too. You don't have anything to worry about. I'm not going anywhere. Ever."_

_ "Then why don't we make it official?" he asked, smiling with his eyes intently on hers._

_ "What? Damon, I don't un—"_

_ She broke off in the middle of her sentence when his hands slipped away from her face and he knelt down in front of her. On one knee. He took her hands in his and looked up at her, the love he felt for her clearly written all over his face. People stopped and gathered around to watch. Everyone knew what was happening._

_ "Damon." His name was a little more than a whisper in the gentle breeze._

_ "Elena Gilbert," Damon said, knowing he had an audience but not caring. For him it was only the two of them. No one else existed in this moment. "Will you marry me?"_

_ The tears finally spilled over and she automatically nodded, allowing herself to be swept up into his arms and lifted off her feet as the crowd burst into applause. Everything else faded away for her as their lips met and her arms wrapped around his neck seemingly of their own accord._

_ Damon set her back on her feet and brushed her hair back, smiling down at her. "That was a yes, right?"_

_ She laughed through her tears and nodded again, framing his face with her hands. "Yes, Damon. Yes."_

_ He kissed her once more and they finally made their way out of the crowd, crossing the street and heading back to the compound, which had become a small town of its own with everyone living there._

_ "Wait." Elena said, stopping once more. "Can vampires get married? We're dead. Don't you have to be alive to get married?"_

_ "Well, it may not be technically legal, but that doesn't mean we can't have a wedding." Damon said. "Do we really need a piece of paper to tell people you're my wife and I'm your husband? Who cares about the certificate? Isn't a real marriage in the heart?"_

_ Elena smiled and leaned against him when he put his arm around her. "You're right, but will you promise me something?"_

_ "Anything."_

_ "We have to wait until Bonnie's back."_

_ Damon smiled and kissed her temple as they walked. "I wouldn't have it any other way. What good is a wedding if all your loved ones aren't there to celebrate with you?"_

%%%

"Elena?" Bonnie's voice broke into her memory and Elena turned away from the full length mirror, smiling at her friends.

Caroline, who was on the verge of tears already, rushed forward and wrapped her in a big hug, "You look so beautiful! That dress is _so_ perfect for you! I can't believe you're getting _married_!"

Elena smiled. The floor length white lace dress from the twenties had been an unexpected wedding present from Klaus. She hadn't wanted to accept it at first, because there was still some tension and weird feelings between them, but he had convinced her.

_It's no good hanging in a closet, Elena. This is your wedding. It's a happy event, and we could all use some happiness in our lives right now. I've done so many awful things to you and your family and friends, and I'll probably never be able to truly earn everyone's forgiveness. To be honest, I'm not sure I really want it. But I do want to do this one small thing for you. I know I'm not your favorite person in the world, but please…let me help make your wedding beautiful._

"I just can't believe you let _Klaus_ provide your wedding dress." Caroline continued.

Elena and Bonnie both stared at her with wide eyes.

"Um, Caroline…" Bonnie said. "You let Klaus provide you with a ball gown, _and_ you begged him for a prom dress."

"Well…only because Elena stole mine."

"And I tried to kill Bonnie." Elena said. "Can we _please_ not talk about everything I did or tried to do when my humanity was off on my wedding day? We've all been through hell lately, so let's agree to only think happy thoughts today. Okay?"

"I second that." Alaric said from the doorway, smiling as he looked in at Elena and her two bridesmaids. "You girls all look beautiful."

The three of them smiled at the compliment and Elena happily slipped her arm through Alaric's. Bonnie handed her the bouquet and Alaric started to lead her out of the room to go down to the courtyard where the ceremony would take place. A compelled priest, Damon, and all of their friends and current allies were waiting. Elena was nervous, but she couldn't wait to get down there and say "I do".

She took one step and stopped. "Ric, wait. Give me a second?"

Alaric nodded, briefly wondering what Grayson and Miranda Gilbert would think about all of this. Their vampire daughter was marrying her vampire boyfriend, and her vampire step-father was giving her away. The best man was a vampire, the bridesmaids were a vampire and a witch, the priest performing the ceremony had been compelled to do so, and most of the guests were vampires, werewolves, hybrids, or witches. Almost every single person in the building had come back from the dead at least once in some way or another, and they were taking a brief break from the supernatural craziness in their lives to have a wedding before diving into a war against other evil, angry, and vicious werewolves, witches, and humans that wanted them all dead while simultaneously trying to track down a baby that was half wolf and half witch that had been kidnapped by her own grandmother.

He shook his head at the ridiculousness of it all as he watched Elena run back into the room and throw her arms around Bonnie.

"You have no idea how happy I am to have you back, Bonnie." Elena whispered as tears filled her eyes and she blinked them back.

Bonnie smiled and hugged Elena back just as hard. "You have no idea how happy I am to _be_ back."

Elena lifted one arm and waved Caroline over, gesturing for her to join in on the hug. Caroline happily fit herself into the group, wrapping her arms around her two best friends.

"Nothing's ever going to tear us apart again." Caroline said. "We're stuck together for the rest of eternity."

"Good." Elena said, smiling.

They gave each other one last squeeze and untangled themselves. Bonnie and Caroline left the room, heading downstairs to take their places, and Elena walked over to Alaric.

She stopped in front of him and looked up at him, meeting his eyes and trying her best not to cry as she smiled. "I was never really one of those girls that dreamed of her wedding day, but I always thought that my dad would be the one to give me away. When my parents died I remember wondering at the funeral who was going to do it now that my dad was gone. I figured I'd have to ask Jeremy to do it when the time came, but then you showed up and…" she broke off because she was afraid she was about to loose it.

Alaric looked like he was about to loose it as well, and they both took a moment to regain some composure. Finally Elena looked back up at him and smiled.

"I don't know what we would've done without you, Ric." She said. "I'm glad you're the one giving me away."

Alaric smiled and folded his arms around her as she gave him the biggest hug he had ever received. "I'm honored to be the one giving you away. Elena…I love you so much."

Elena kissed his cheek and smiled. "I love you too, Ric."

"Well, I hate to interrupt this lovely moment," Klaus said. He spoke in his usual sardonic tone, but there was something more to it. "But there's a room full of people downstairs that are waiting to ooh and ahh as they watch the beautiful bride make her way down the aisle."

Elena looked at him and realized that he was smiling. He offered his arm, and as she took it, she realized that Klaus really was excited about this. She couldn't help but smile as she made her way downstairs flanked by Klaus and Alaric. When they reached the courtyard Klaus kissed her cheek, wished her luck, and went to take his place between Siobhan and Rebekah. Elena took a deep breath, and promptly lost it when she saw Damon standing there in his tux smiling at her as Alaric walked her down the aisle. Stefan stood by his side, and all of the people she loved most in the world were smiling happily as she passed by.

She couldn't take her eyes off Damon's as the priest lead them through their vows and they said "I do." A tear finally slid down her cheek when Damon placed the ring on her finger, and their audience erupted into applause when he kissed his bride.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the priest said, "I present Mr. and Mrs. Damon Salvatore."

More applause, cheers, and whistles sounded as they made their way back up the aisle. Rice rained down on them as Elena held onto Damon's arm and laughed out of sheer happiness. _Mr. and Mrs. Damon Salvatore,_ she thought. _I'm going to be Mrs. Elena Salvatore for the rest of my eternal undead life._

At the moment, it was the single most amazing thing she could imagine, and she was so happy that it had finally come true.

***Sniff sniff* I totally just made myself cry with this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it and it wasn't cheesy or too fluffy. I think we can all agree that these people deserve a few happy moments, right? And seriously, aside from the Stelena fans, who wouldn't love to see a Delena wedding? **

**When I started this story I had intended to focus on Lucy, Siobhan, and Hope mostly seeing as they are the Daughters of the Revolution, but it didn't exactly go the way I had planned. However, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, and I hope all of you are as well. There probably will be a third (or 4****th**** if you count Corporal Compulsion) installment for this story, but it may be a while before I get around to it. As I've said I'm dealing with some personal stuff (stress/anxiety, probably some depression, panic attacks), but I'm working through it all and hopefully things will start to get better. I'm also working on my own original stuff and trying to figure out that Hayley idea I've got bouncing around in my head. So stay tuned for updates and new things, and feel free to send me suggestions or requests and I'll see what I can do. **

**And while you're waiting, if you haven't already, you should go check out the story that inspired "Please, Come Back to Me" and this one, Florencia7's "If & Only If", and toolezbionic's "Letters From the Sky". Both are amazing stories :) **

**Thanks for all the support and love. You guys are awesome!**


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